Span, Escobar lead offensive assault in Nats' 11-1 win

Nationals ace Max Scherzer entered Monday's game receiving only 3.4 runs of support per outing, the lowest number among the Nats' rotation. The result was a 2-3 record that wasn't close to reflecting the way the right-hander had pitched through his first six starts.

The Nationals wasted no time erasing that problem, plating a whopping 10 runs in the game's first two innings en route to an 11-1 victory over the Diamondbacks.

The relentless offensive assault began with a leadoff homer from center fielder Denard Span, the third leadoff home run of his career. A few batters later, first baseman Ryan Zimmerman delivered a three-run blast, leaving Diamondbacks starter Josh Collmenter punch drunk after just the first frame.

The Nats continued pounding away in the second as they started the inning with four straight singles. The fifth hit of the night, an RBI single from right fielder Bryce Harper, ended Collmenter's night. But the Diamondbacks' suffering wasn't over as catcher Wilson Ramos smoked a bases-loaded three-run double off Diamondbacks reliever Vidal Nuno to give the Nats 10 on the scoreboard through just two innings.

That was more than enough for Scherzer, who showed the same intensity in a blowout as he would in a nailbiter. The 30-year-old allowed only one run on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts. He now has 55 strikeouts and five walks in his seven starts.

The Nats have banged out 63 hits and scored 40 runs during their current five-game winning streak.

Third baseman Yunel Escobar has been a major catalyst for the offense during the stretch. Escobar went 5-for-5 on Monday night, the second time this month that he has produced five hits. He had never accomplished the feat before in his nine-year career. Escobar also became the first Nationals player ever to have multiple five-hit games in a season. In his first year with the ball club, Escobar leads the Nationals with a .342 batting average.

"He's calm," Nationals manager Matt Williams told reporters after the game. "He's taking what's given to him. He's hitting the ball middle of the diamond, which creates opportunity. He understands himself. He takes the ball the other way when he has to. We've seen him over the course of this season get a bunch of big hits for us."