WASHINGTON – Bryce Harper hit two homers, and the Washington Nationals went deep six times for the second consecutive game, sending Gio Gonzalez to his 18th victory in a 9-1 rout of the Cubs on Wednesday night.

Adam LaRoche kept up his tear at the plate with three hits for the Nationals, who have won four straight and own the best record in the majors at 84-52. They maintained a 7˝-game lead over Atlanta in the NL East.

For the second night in a row, Washington tied a team record for home runs in a game. LaRoche has hit three of those 12 long balls, and his streak of reaching base in nine consecutive plate appearances was snapped by a seventh-inning strikeout.