Hot night for Kendrick lifts Nats past Mets 5-3

Howie Kendrick had not played in a game since July 28. Recently, manager Davey Martinez said the veteran was dealing with upper back tightness, so the skipper decided to rest him.

Following their game against the Blue Jays July 30, the Nationals had five days off because their series with the Marlins was postponed. Kendrick was able to get about four at-bats in during their intrasquad game Sunday. The rest and then a final warmup appeared to pay dividends for Kendrick on Tuesday night in his return to the starting lineup.

Kendrick went 4-for-4 with a home run, an RBI and two runs scored as the Nats outlasted the 66-minute rain delay and the Mets, 5-3.

Martinez was glad to have Kendrick back in his lineup, and thrilled with the result.

"We just kept an eye on him, and (the) conversation between him and I and the training staff, he felt good to go," Martinez said. "Sunday he said he felt OK. It was just perfect for him to go out there and do what he did and show that he is really OK. We need him in the lineup whenever we can. I've got to give him days off, I know that. But, shortened season like that, we got to get him out there as much as possible."

Kendrick homered off of Mets starter Steven Matz in the bottom of the first. In the third, his single started a three-run rally in which the Nats strung together three hits in a row. He also singled in the fifth and again in the seventh.

"Today the game plan was kind of work some counts, see some pitches," Kendrick said on a postgame Zoom call. "I think sometimes as hitters we get ahead of ourselves and don't give ourselves opportunity to see some pitches. Right there he just made a mistake with a changeup. Most of the time, 3-2 counts now you don't really get those fastballs like you used to, so you just try to be patient and hopefully it works out for you. Tonight, it was just one of those nights where it worked out for me."

Josh Harrison homered and finished with two RBIs. The veteran signed with the Nats on July 27, and the dinger was his first hit with his new teammates. So, when he got back in the dugout and saw their faces and the dance celebration, it was a special moment.

"More than anything, man, when you come to a new team, you just want to be able to contribute and help win," Harrison said during a postgame Zoom call. "That was one swing of the bat where I was able to add a little something to the lineup. I just remember coming in and they start banging. I was part of the banging when other people hit the home run, but this time it was time for me to dance. It was pretty cool. It was almost like my welcome in to the team. Got on base, got something to contribute to a win."

Harrison's homer also got outfielder Juan Soto up and dancing. Soto was in the stands near the first base line, taking in the beginning of the game, before heading into the tunnel later for batting practice and the possibility of a pinch-hitting opportunity. When Harrison cranked his first Nats homer, Soto celebrated with an impromptu dance on top of the home dugout.

"I missed that, but that's what these guys are," Martinez said. "They are a bunch guys that pull for each other. They love each other. They want everybody to do well. And when things get going, they are a bunch that wants to have fun and they need to have fun. That's part of the game. With respect to everything else, I want these guys to have fun."

Asdrúbal Cabrera and Starlin Castro each added a pair of hits to the attack. Castro and Carter Kieboom helped the cause with RBI singles. The Nats have scored 11 runs and pounded out 23 hits in their last two games.

And it was Kendrick's homer that got the Nats going Tuesday toward their third straight win. The dancing celebrations in the dugout are a big deal to the Nats after homers. Kendrick likes to end those dances by sitting on the bench next to Adam Eaton as the two act out shifting gears as if they are driving a pair of hot rod cars in a drag race, side-by-side.

"We always have a good time, and I say any time we are driving we are having good ball games. It is something fun. I know the fans really love it. Adam and I, we are both passionate guys about cars. It was great, because the last time we did it was in the World Series. It's something we definitely enjoy doing and hopefully, we will be doing a lot more of it."