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Nationals beat up on Mets

Sep 14, 2014 - 5:29 AM Flushing, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Ian Desmond went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored as the Washington Nationals nabbed a 10-3 win over the New York Mets in the third of a four-game set.

Bryce Harper and Denard Span each hit a two-run home run, while Jayson Werth drove in two and scored twice for the Nationals, who have won five of their last seven. Doug Fister (14-6) gave up just three runs -- two earned -- on five hits in six innings to pick up the win.

"The guys were out there playing hard and that's what it comes down to," said Fister. "They were chasing down fly balls and getting in front of ground balls in the field, and swinging at the plate. It was a real team effort tonight."

Washington inched closer to its second NL East title in three years, as the team is 9 1/2 games up on Atlanta, which lost to Texas on Saturday.

Wilmer Flores hit a two-run home run for the Mets, who had won five of six coming in. Zack Wheeler (10-10) was tagged for all six runs on seven hits and a pair of walks in four-plus innings.

"When you don't pitch the game gets ugly," said New York manager Terry Collins. "There was a couple of errors again tonight."

The Nationals jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second as Desmond led off with a walk and Harper followed with his 13th home run of the season.

In the fourth with Harper on first and Desmond on second, the two runners executed a double steal and Desmond came home on Travis d'Arnaud's bad throw for a 3-0 lead.

Werth singled home one run, and Desmond brought in two more with a single in the fifth for a 6-0 lead.

Flores' two-run home run in the fifth got the Mets on the board, but Werth got one back in the sixth on a run-scoring fielder's choice for a 7-2 advantage.

An RBI single from Curtis Granderson in the sixth once again made it a four- run game, but Desmond doubled home Werth in the eighth for an 8-3 lead.

Span's two-run homer in the ninth accounted for the final score.

Game Notes

Washington has won 12 of 15 games with New York this season, including seven of eight as the guests ... Washington was just 4-for-20 with runners in scoring position, and left 11 men on base ... Fister improved to 4-0 against the Mets ... Wheeler fell to 2-5 in seven games versus Washington.