Bryce Harper

Edwin Jackson labored through a lengthy first inning Monday night. After that, he was lights out. Bryce Harper had three hits in his return to the starting lineup, Jackson pitched eight strong innings to win consecutive starts for the first time this season and the Washington Nationals beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3. Adam LaRoche hit a two-run homer and Rick Ankiel also connected as the NL East-leading Nationals won their fourth straight and...

Stepping into the box for his second at-bat, Bryce Harper was determined to swing at the first pitch. He did, and connected on the longest home run of his brief career. Harper homered off the restaurant in center field, Danny Espinosa added a two-run blast and the Washington Nationals beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 Tuesday night, extending their winning streak to five games. “I don't really hit big home runs,” Harper said. “It's usually just line drives that get going. That was a pretty good one tonight.” Jhonatan Solano added his first career homer as the Nationals improved to 6-2 in interleague play.

Stephen Strasburg struck out 13 in six innings, Bryce Harper homered and the Washington Nationals beat the Boston Red Sox 7-4 on Friday night for the franchise's first victory at Fenway Park. Harper hit a two-run shot in the fourth and an RBI single in the sixth as the club improved to 1-9 at Boston's iconic home. The Montreal Expos dropped all six of their games there before moving to Washington. Strasburg (7-1) threw a career-high 119 pitches, including 33 in his final inning when he worked out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam. He finished one strikeout shy of his career high of 14, set on June 8, 2010 - exactly two years ago to the day Friday - against Pittsburgh in his major league debut.

Edwin Jackson pitched seven effective innings, Adam LaRoche hit a three-run homer and the Washington Nationals beat the New York Mets 5-3 on Wednesday night. Jackson (2-3) allowed three runs, two earned, and three hits to earn his first win since April 14 against Cincinnati. The right-hander was 0-3 with a 3.33 ERA in his previous eight starts. Sean Burnett pitched a perfect eighth and Tyler Clippard worked the ninth for his fifth save in six chances, completing a three-hitter.

Cole Hamels didn't hit any Washington batters this time, and the Nationals hitters barely touched Hamels. Hamels pitched eight scoreless innings, finishing up by retiring Bryce Harper on a grounder as the Philadelphia Phillies snapped a season-long four-game losing streak Wednesday night with a 4-1 victory over Washington. Hamels (7-1) didn't allow a hit until Danny Espinosa doubled with one out in the sixth. The left-hander won his seventh straight decision, allowing four hits and striking out eight.

Jordan Zimmermann pitched six solid innings, and Ian Desmond and Rick Ankiel homered to lead the Washington Nationals to a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night. Bryce Harper tripled, singled and drove in two runs for the Nationals, who won their third straight game and beat the Phillies for the sixth straight time in Philadelphia - something that never had been done in the franchise's 43-year history. Washington has defeated Philadelphia in four of the five meetings this season and 13 of the last 16 overall.

Gio Gonzalez continued to dominate hitters and the Washington Nationals continued to frustrate the Philadelphia Phillies. Gonzalez allowed three hits over six innings and Ian Desmond homered and drove in both runs to lead the Nationals to a 2-1 victory Monday night. Gonzalez (6-1), a former Phillies farmhand, struck out seven of the first nine batters and finished with nine strikeouts. That upped his total to 35 over his last four starts, all wins, in 25 innings. “Even though they have a couple of guys down, they have a great lineup,” Gonzalez said, referring to injured Philadelphia All-Stars Chase Utley (knee)

Andrew McCutchen won't get to face the Washington Nationals again this season. He's sorry about it. They're not. McCutchen homered twice, James McDonald took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and struck out a career-high 11, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Nationals 5-3 on Thursday night. In five games against Washington this season, McCutchen went 10 for 17. He is batting .442 with 10 home runs in 23 career games versus the Nationals. "It's a good place to hit," McCutchen said.