Michael Conforto hit two home runs and slumping Jose Reyes also connected, leading the New York Mets over the Washington Nationals 5-3 Saturday.
The banged-up Mets had lost six in a row when they began this series at Nationals Park against the team with the best record in the majors. Behind their power and bullpen, the Mets beat Washington for the second straight day.
The Nationals also got steamed over a no-call involving a steal by Jayson Werth in the fourth inning. Werth swiped second as Jose Lobaton struck out, and got up and banged into shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera when the throw skipped away. Werth kept heading to third and was thrown out by a wide margin, and argued along with Washington manager Dusty Baker that he should've been awarded the base because of obstruction.
Conforto's two-run homer in the fifth gave the Mets a 3-1 lead and his sixth home run of the season made it 4-2 in the eighth. It was Conforto's second multihomer game in the majors — as a rookie, he did it in Game 4 of the 2015 World Series against Kansas City.
Hansel Robles (4-0) came in to start the sixth and retired five of the six batters he faced, striking out four. Jerry Blevins then took over and fanned Bryce Harper.
Jeurys Familia, pulled Friday night in the ninth while Washington tried to rally, retired three straight hitters to earn his first save of the season.
Familia, who led the majors with a team-record 51 saves last year, began this season serving a 15-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy.
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Stephen Strasburg (2-1) gave up three runs in seven innings. He has gone exactly seven innings in all five of his starts this season.
Harper was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. He also struck out three times on Friday.
Ryan Zimmerman hit a home run in the eighth to bring cut the deficit to 4-3. Zimmerman, who also had two singles, drove in all three Nationals runs and now has 11 homers this season to go along with 27 RBIs.
Zimmerman's shot broke a tie with Andre Dawson to move into second place on the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals franchise list with 226.
Jose Reyes hit a solo shot in the ninth, his second of the season.
Michael A. Taylor had three hits in his first game since replacing the injured Adam Eaton in center field for the Nationals. Taylor doubled in the first and added singles in the third and fifth.
Mets starter Zack Wheeler pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up five hits and allowing one earned run while striking out four.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Mets: 1B Lucas Duda (hyperextended left elbow) continued his rehab assignment on Friday for Single-A St. Lucie. He went 1 for 3 and is on pace to return on April 30.
"I think it's important that he accumulates some at-bats just so we can really test how the arm's feeling," said Mets manager Terry Collins. "The way it sounds he'll be back when he's eligible to come off."
Nationals: The team put Eaton on the 10-day disabled list because of a left knee strain. He is hitting .297 with two homers and 13 RBIs. Eaton beat out a throw to first in the ninth inning Friday in the series opener before awkwardly stepping on the base and falling to the ground. He needed assistance leaving the field. The Nats recalled OF Rafael Bautista from Triple-A Syracuse to take Eaton's roster spot.
UP NEXT
Mets: RHP Noah Syndergaard (1-1, 1.73) makes his first start since April 20 after throwing a bullpen session Friday. He was a late scratch in his last scheduling outing on Thursday against Atlanta due to biceps tendinitis. Syndergaard is 2-3 with a 2.77 ERA lifetime against Washington.
Nationals: RHP Joe Ross (1-0, 6.17), is 1-1 in three career starts with a 3.86 ERA against the Mets. Ross saw action against the Mets on Friday as a pinch runner in the ninth replacing C Matt Wieters.
