Back-to-back homers help Scherzer early (Nats win 7-2)

NEW YORK - After a quiet first two innings, the Nats ignited the offense again with the long ball in the third.

Matt Wieters and Michael A. Taylor hit back-to-back homers off of left-hander Steven Matz. Wieters hit his sixth of the season over the left-center field wall. Taylor hit his eighth, an opposite-field jobber over the right field wall near the foul pole. It marked the sixth time this season the Nats have gone back-to-back - the last time June 13 against the Braves, when Ryan Zimmerman and Daniel Murphy pulled off the feat.

Max Scherzer has had a bit of control issue early, hitting two batters and walking another, but has yet to allow a hit or a run. He was helped in the second when Anthony Rendon and Murphy wheeled a 5-4-3 double play off a hot shot down the third base line by Travis d'Arnaud.

Matz connected on a single up the middle in the bottom of the third for the first hit off of Scherzer. But the Nats engineered a 4-6-3 double play off a Michael Conforto grounder to keep the Mets off the board.

After 3 innings at Citi Field, the Nats lead 2-0.

Update: Scherzer has struck out five of the last six batters faced as he gets into a nice groove. The Mets have two hits through five frames. The Nats have had two base hits in each of the last three innings, but only scored on the homers in the third.

After five full innings, the Nats lead the Mets 2-0.

Update II: The Nats offense attacks again in the sixth. With one out, Murphy doubles. Rendon follows with a well hit two-run shot over the right-center field wall and the Nats lead 4-0. Rendon has 12 homers on the season. The Nats have five homers in the series.

After 5 1/2 innings, the Nats lead the Mets 4-0.

Update III: José Reyes homered to begin the bottom of the eighth. But Scherzer stuck out two in the inning. He has 10 strikeouts in the game. It is the fifth straight start he has reached double digits in strikeouts, eighth time on the season. He has reached at least 10 strikeouts in a game 57 times in his career. The five straight 10-plus strikeout starts by Scherzer is a club record (2005-present).

After eight innings, the Nats lead 4-1.

Update IV: Scherzer finishes eight innings, allowing one run on four hits, walking two and striking out 10 batters. He threw a season-high 118 pitches, 84 for strikes. The last batter he faced, Yoenis Céspedes went 11 pitches, finally striking out swinging.

Update V: The Nats have tallied three insurance runs in the ninth. Bryce Harper and Zimmerman each hit an RBI single, and Rendon walked with the bases loaded. The Nats lead 7-1.

With Shawn Kelley pitching the ninth, Jay Bruce homered. Wilmer Flores and Lucas Duda flied out. T.J. Rivera grounded out to end the game.

The Nats have won 10 of their last 12 and are 12-5 against National League East teams on the road.

Scherzer is now 8-4. Every batter one through eight had at least one hit for the Nats. Harper had three hits and an RBI. Rendon and Taylor each had two hits and a home run.

Final score: Nats 7, Mets 2.