Max Scherzer threw five shutout innings and Yan Gomes had a career-high five hits as the Washington Nationals demolished the Arizona Diamondbacks 17-2 on Friday in Phoenix.
Injury-riddled Arizona lost its third game in a row and is 3-10 in May after going 14-12 in April. Washington has won two in a row following a four-game losing streak.
Gomes went 5-for-6, finishing a home run away from the cycle. He added four runs and two RBIs. He led Washington’s 22-hit attack.
Six other Nationals had multiple hits — Trea Turner (2-for-5 with three RBIs), Josh Harrison (3-for-7 with an RBI), Kyle Schwarber (3-for-4 with two RBIs), Josh Bell (2-for-5 with three RBIs), Victor Robles (2-for-4 with two RBIs) and Andrew Stevenson (2-for-3 with three RBIs).
Scherzer (3-2) allowed two hits and one walk while recording seven strikeouts. He was lifted after 85 pitches with Washington on top 11-0.
Arizona left fielder David Peralta pitched the ninth and allowed a three-run home run to Stevenson.
Turner set the tone with a leadoff home run in the first inning.
Washington, which lost seven of its previous nine games, went on to score five more runs in the inning against right-hander Riley Smith (1-3).
Juan Soto walked, Schwarber singled and Starlin Castro walked to load the bases with one out.
Bell and Gomes followed with consecutive two-run doubles. With two outs, Robles added an RBI double to put Washington ahead 6-0.
Smith was chased after three innings with the Nationals up 8-0. Schwarber homered in the second, and Robles hit another RBI double in the third.
Schwarber has recorded at least one hit in seven of his past eight games, and he has three home runs in that span.
Smith yielded eight hits and two walks without registering a strikeout.
Washington rallied for another three runs in the fifth on Turner’s two-run double and Harrison’s RBI single.
Peralta and Andrew Young each had two of the Diamondbacks’ six hits.
Arizona placed infielder Asdrubal Cabrera (strained right hamstring) on the 10-day injured list before the game. He is one of seven Diamondbacks on the IL.
–Field Level Media