D'Arnaud's two homers help Mets end six-game skid
WASHINGTON -- Travis d'Arnaud hit two homers and drove in a career-high five runs and Jacob deGrom fanned 12 batters in seven innings as the New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 7-5 on Friday.
The Mets snapped a six-game losing streak and cooled off the first-place Nationals, who had won 10 of their previous 11 games. The win spoiled a two-homer night for Washington's Ryan Zimmerman, who had three RBIs.
A right-hander from Florida, deGrom (1-1) allowed three runs and six hits while fanning at least 10 batters for the 13th time in his career. He struck out 10 Washington batters on April 22.
Mets pinch-hitter Kevin Plawecki, batting for deGrom, drove in a run with a bases-loaded single in the eighth off reliever Jacob Turner for a 6-3 lead. Michael Conforto followed with a walk with the bases loaded to make it 7-3.
Zimmerman hit his second homer of the game, a two-run shot in the eighth off reliever Addison Reed, to pull Washington to within 7-5. It was his 10th homer of the year and the 17th time he had at least two homers in a game.
The losing pitcher was Max Scherzer (3-2), who gave up five runs and nine hits in six innings.
Josh Edgin got the last two outs for the save with the bases loaded as he got Bryce Harper to ground into a double play back to the pitcher.
Asdrubal Cabrera, Jose Reyes and T.J. Rivera added two hits for the Mets, who were swept in three games by Washington last weekend in New York. Trea Turner, Matt Wieters and Daniel Murphy also had two hits for Washington.
Harper made his big-league debut April 28, 2012, at Los Angeles against the Dodgers. The right fielder, on the fifth anniversary of that debut, also fanned three times.
Each catcher hit a two-run homer in the second inning while batting from the No. 8 spot in the order.
The Mets took a 2-0 lead in the second as catcher d'Arnaud crushed a two-run homer to left off Scherzer. His third homer of the season came on a 93-mph fastball from Scherzer on a 1-0 delivery, and the exit velocity was 111 mph. Left fielder Jayson Werth barely budged as the ball flew over the fence.
Zimmerman hit his ninth homer -- the most he has ever hit in April -- to make it 2-1 in the last of the second off deGrom. It was the 22nd RBI of the season for Zimmerman, who entered the game tied for second in the league in homers.
Washington catcher Wieters then went deep to center for a two-run shot later in the second as the Nationals took a 3-2 lead.
In the fourth, d'Arnaud cranked a three-run homer to left to give the Mets a 5-3 advantage. It was the first multi-homer game of d'Arnaud's career.
NOTES: Mets LF Yoenis Cespedes went on the 10-day disabled list Friday with a hamstring injury. He is hitting .270 with six homers in 18 games. To take his place on the roster the Mets called up LHP Sean Gilmartin from Triple-A Las Vegas ... Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, manager Terry Collins and several players made a visit Friday to the Walter Reed Medical Center to meet with Wounded Warriors, active service men and women and their families ... Washington RHP Stephen Strasburg (2-0, 2.89 ERA) is slated to face Mets RHP Zack Wheeler (1-2, 5.40) Saturday ... Washington CF Adam Eaton was helped off the field in the ninth after he reached on an infield single. He appeared to hurt his left ankle.