Washington starter Stephen Strasburg (6-6) left after just two innings. He allowed three runs on five hits, including the McCutchen homer, and this was his shortest outing of the season. The right-hander threw only 35 pitches.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said after the game that the right-hander had inflammation and tightness in his throwing shoulder and is to have an MRI on Saturday.

Washington wound up allowing 15 hits overall as San Francisco repeatedly came up with offensive chances. The Giants went 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position and stranded six.

Overall, they scored in five of the nine innings as Strasburg's early exit forced the Nationals to use seven pitchers.

For the Giants, Andrew Suarez nearly got the victory but could not make it through the necessary five innings. He allowed four runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings after being staked to an early 3-0 lead.

The Giants used six pitchers, and Reyes Moronta (2-0) got the win after coming in for Suarez and getting the last two outs in the fifth.

San Francisco has won seven of eight, including two in a row.

McCutchen started things with a solo homer two outs into the first inning. The Giants added two more in the second thanks to an RBI single from Alen Hanson plus a Hunter Pence run-scoring double.

They stretched the lead to 5-0 when Hernandez belted a two-run homer off Wander Suero in the fourth. Juan Soto's two-run homer cut the lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth before Brandon Crawford gave the Giants another run in the fifth with an RBI double.

Bryce Harper made it 6-4 with a two-run single in the fifth. A Matt Adams RBI single brought Washington to within one in the sixth, but the Giants took over in the seventh.

San Francisco scored three runs and stretched its lead to 9-5. Pence and Pablo Sandoval both got RBI singles, and Evan Longoria added a sacrifice fly.

--Field Level Media