Nationals vs. Mets: Gio Gonzalez notches 19th win, Washington hits three homers in 5-1 victory The Nationals did not record a hit once Mets starter Collin McHugh left after four innings, but they still notched their 87th victory, more than any Washington team since the summer World War II ended. They dropped their magic number to clinch the National League East to 16, and as they waited for the Atlanta Braves to finish they knew their lead would at least stay at 6 ½ games. Kurt Suzuki, Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond each blasted a home run off McHugh. The trio continued an overwhelming trend. In their past seven games, the Nationals have ripped 23 home runs. Suddenly, since the all-star break, the Nationals have smashed 78 homers, more than any team in the NL. They also lead the league in runs scored since the break. Despite five walks in six innings, Gonzalez still stifled the Mets. He allowed just three hits and lowered his ERA to 2.93, fifth in the majors. He extended his scoreless innings streak to 19 before Scott Hairston led off the fourth with the Mets" first hit, a homer to left field. The Nationals have won six consecutive games at Citi Field. Monday, they officially, mercifully eliminated the Mets from NL East contention. The night included one moment that revealed how. Suzuki led off the third inning and popped up McHugh's 0-1 slider behind home plate. The apparent easy out served to demonstrate what kind of season it has been in Queens. The ball plopped out of catcher Kelly Shoppach's mitt and fell to the turf. Two pitches later, Suzuki crushed another slider over the left field fence, which gave the Nationals a 1-0 lead. The Nationals acquired Suzuki for his defense, but lately, like the rest of his team, he has exploded at the plate. In his last 11 games, Suzuki, the Nationals" No. 8 hitter, is batting .314 with four homers. In the fourth inning, Michael Morse led off with an infield single. He shattered his bat as he fisted an inside fastball between shortstop and third base. Enough shards of wood covered the infield it looked a derecho had blown through Citi Field. The single brought Desmond to the plate, and Desmond smashed a 3-2 fastball right field. They have moved in the fences at Citi Field this year, but it would not have mattered where or when Desmond drilled the ball. It was a no-doubt, opposite-field home run. The Nationals led, 5-0. Desmond's 22nd homer gave him more than any Washington middle infielder in the 79 years since 1900 the city has had a team. This year, Desmond has hit more homers, 22, than any other major league shortstop. Even though he missed nearly a month on the disabled list, Desmond also leads with 4.5 wins above replacement, the metric used by FanGraphs.com to ascertain a player's overall value. When Desmond arrived at spring training, there remained some question if he could seize the position in the long term. With less than a month left in the season, he could win a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger or both. "As far as I'm concerned, he's the best shortstop in the National League," Manager Davey Johnson said before the game. Not only defensively, but offensively. He's fun to watch, and he's only going to get better. Desmond's latest homer revealed yet another way in which he has expanded his talents this season. Before June 28, Desmond had only hit one homer to the right of center field, back in 2010, his rookie season. Since that day, Desmond has blasted five home runs to the opposite field. The Nationals have been spraying homers in all directions lately, and Monday they showed no signs of slowing down.