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Harper clubs 5 homers in 2-game span

After smacking 3 the last time out, slugger sets franchise record with 2 more

WASHINGTON -- Bryce Harper is on a historic run at the plate. A game after hitting three home runs Wednesday against the Marlins, Harper again used the long ball multiple times in a 9-2 Nationals victory over the Braves on Friday.

"Don't touch him. You might get third-degree burns," teammate Gio Gonzalez joked about the hot-hitting Harper.

Harper hit two homers and drove in five runs against Atlanta pitching. With the Nationals down, 2-1, in the sixth inning, Harper hit a 1-2 pitch from left-hander Eric Stults over the wall in left-center to give Washington a 3-2 lead.

Two innings later, Harper added to the lead and hit a three-run homer off Williams Perez to give Washington a 7-2 lead. Harper then took his second curtain call in three days.

Video: Must C Combo: Harper leads Nats with two home runs

As tracked by Statcast™, Harper's first homer left his bat with an exit velocity of 100 mph and traveled 391 feet, while his second blast had an exit velocity of 105 mph and was hit 415 feet.

In the clubhouse after the game, Harper downplayed his accomplishment. Instead, he praised the entire team for playing well. It was a game that saw Gonzalez pitch his second consecutive quality start, Danny Espinosa hit two home runs and Jayson Werth get his first homer of the season.

Video: ATL@WSH: Espinosa goes yard twice against Braves

"Everybody is swinging the bat well. It's nice to see," Harper said.

According to Elias, Harper became the first player in Nationals/Expos history to hit five home runs in two games. The last player to do it in the Major Leagues was Josh Reddick of the Athletics on Aug. 9-10, 2013. Harper, 22, is also the youngest to hit five homers in a two-game span.

"I hope I hit two more tomorrow," Harper said. "I think I try to go about my business the right way, keep my same routine every single day. We are facing a great pitcher tomorrow in Julio Teheran. I want to go in there, get on base and help this team win. That's all I want to do. I'm going to work hard and help this team every single night."

Video: Harper heats up with five home runs in two games

Manager Matt Williams is not surprised that Harper is hot at the plate.

"His swing is calm, quick and he is waiting for the baseball," Williams said. "When he does it, he has the ability to do what he did -- hit a ball to left-center, hit a ball to right. When he gets outside of himself, sometimes it doesn't happen for him. The last couple of games, he has been exceptional."

Video: ATL@WSH: Williams on Harper and Nationals' 9-2 win

Harper leads the Nationals in almost every major offensive category and is tied for the National League lead in home runs with 10.

"I want to go out there and have good ABs," Harper said. "That's where I need to be. … I think we have a great team. Having guys around me that I do, J-Dub [Werth] hitting in front of me and Zim [Ryan Zimmerman] hitting behind me, it's fun to be able to hit between those guys."

Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, All Nats All the Time. He also can be found on Twitter @WashingNats.
Read More: Washington Nationals, Bryce Harper