Instant analysis: Nats 14, Mets 1

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Game in a nutshell: Remember when the Nationals were a disaster? You know, like, three days ago? Well, they've suddenly won four of their last five games and look capable of going on a sustained run. OK, OK, so we've been down this road before, and given the way this season has gone, you'd be wise not to get too excited yet. But there's nothing wrong with enjoying today's lopsided victory, a complete thrashing of the Mets pitching staff. The Nationals rapped out a season-high 18 hits, getting at least one base hit from seven of their eight starting position players (all but Adam LaRoche). Wilson Ramos hit a grand slam. Denard Span hit another homer. Ian Desmond went 4-for-4 with two doubles. Ryan Zimmerman had three hits. Nobody was happier about all that than Taylor Jordan, who in his sixth career start finally earned his first career win, allowing one run over six innings. The Nationals have by no means turned their season around. But they're back to 52-54, and they're actually feeling good about themselves for the moment. So that's an improvement.

Hitting highlight: There were no shortage of options here, so let's not limit this to only one specific player or one specific inning, but instead to one specific part of the Nationals' lineup: the bottom of it. They've had a problem all season getting production from the entire lineup, but today we saw what a difference depth makes. Their No. 6-8 hitters (Desmond, Span and Ramos) went a combined 10-for-12 with a walk, two doubles, two homers and 11 RBI. It's pretty hard to lose a game when that happens. Ramos' third-inning grand slam was the first of his career and earned a curtain call from the crowd of 31,467. Span's two-run blast in the sixth, meanwhile, was his second homer of the season ... and second in two days.

Pitching highlight: It's always a challenge for a rookie pitcher to face an opponent for the second time, but Jordan excelled in that regard today. He retired the first 10 batters he faced, displaying better use and command of his slider and changeup. He did put six men on base over his next three innings but was able to limit the damage and put himself in a position to earn his first career win in six tries. Thanks to the tremendous run support, the right-hander did finally get his well-deserved W. Jordan has now thrown 125 2/3 combined innings this year between the majors and minors, which may only leave him with one or two more starts before the Nationals shut him down for the season.

Key stat: This was the second time in 29 days the Nationals have led the Mets by 13 runs in a game.

Up next: After 11 games in the last 10 days, the Nationals get Monday off to travel to Detroit. They'll open a brief, two-game series with the Tigers at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday, with Stephen Strasburg facing Anibal Sanchez in the opener.