Nats' instant offense too much for Mets to handle

NEW YORK - Back-to-back homers opened the scoring for the Nationals on their way to a 7-2 win over the Mets at Citi Field on Friday night.

Matt Wieters and Michael A. Taylor went back-to-back off Mets left-hander Steven Matz to lead off the third, and the Nats led 2-0.

Anthony Rendon smacked a two-run shot off of Matz in the sixth. Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman contributed RBI singles in a three-run ninth inning.

The back-to-back homers marked the sixth time this season the Nationals had pulled off the feat. Manager Dusty Baker said the instant offense has been a crucial part of the Nats' attack this season.

"It gets to be a feeding frenzy sometimes," Baker said. "We have an up and down lineup - you don't know who could possible back-to-back. When (Daniel) Murphy or Zim, Harper and those guys back-to-back, Rendon in the middle of the lineup, but when you're back-to-back toward the latter part of your lineup, that's a pretty good lineup."

Wieters has been a big pickup. His offense might have been expected. But it's his defense and the way he handles the Nats pitching staff that has been a bigger deal.

Wieters was crucial to lifting Max Scherzer through the eighth inning, when José Reyes' solo shot got the Mets on the board.

"The curveball was there for most of the night," Scherzer said. "And that's what Reyes hit out. And when you hang a curveball, it doesn't matter who you hang it to. They can always get you. So that's what you always got to do: move on. And the fact that I came right back and executed two to (Curtis Granderson) just shows you Wieters has confidence to call it and I have confidence to throw it."

That allowed Scherzer to stay in the game long enough to face off against Yoenis Céspedes. The 11-pitch battle ended with a swinging strikeout that also closed the book on an outstanding night for Scherzer.

"Matz was going to be tough out there," Wieters said. "The lefty with his stuff, to be able to try to jump in the lead early and get Max the lead. I think that's something that he really thrives with, the lead (and) being able to hold it. He does a good job of that.

"First couple of innings, it looked like it was going to be a low-scoring game and (to) be able to get a couple runs there, give Max a little bit of the ability to go out there and do what he does."

Rendon's blast gave the Nat a 4-0 lead. A hitter of Rendon's caliber is batting sixth in this lineup. That gives a clear-cut example of the club's offensive potency.

"It's awesome," Rendon said. "They always say hitting is contagious. I guess it's been working in our favor. We're pretty dangerous. Our lineup, one through nine, some of our pitchers can actually hit, too. It's been fun to just be a part of it."

Each of the first eight hitters in the Nationals lineup had at least one hit Friday night. In the first two games of the series, the Nats have scored 15 runs, hit five homers and pounded out 24 hits. They have now won 11 of their last 15 games at Citi Field. The offense the Nats have - even without Jayson Werth - plus the starting pitching they can bring out to the mound have been too much for the Mets to handle in mid-June.