Livan Hernandez threw seven solid innings and Jeff Francoeur hit his first homer with the Mets, leading New York to a 6-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night.
Francoeur finished with three hits and two RBIs for injury-riddled New York, which scored five times in the first two innings. The Mets have scored six runs or more just six times in 25 games since All-Star center fielder Carlos Beltran went on the disabled list on June 22.
Hernandez (6-5) allowed two runs and five hits to end a four-game losing streak and earn his first win since June 7 at Washington. The right-hander also improved to 8-1 with a 2.74 ERA against the Nationals in his career.