Livan Hernandez allowed three hits in his first shutout of the season and Mike Morse homered twice as the Washington Nationals ripped the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, 10-0, on Wednesday.

Danny Espinosa added a solo homer and Ryan Zimmerman drove in a run for the Nationals, who have won five straight for the first time since closing the 2009 campaign with a seven-game surge.

Hernandez (4-8) struck out six and did not walk a batter en route to his first win since April 28 and ninth career shutout. The ageless Cuban came into Wednesday 0-6 with a 4.86 ERA in his previous eight turns.

Morse welcomed Kyle McClellan back off the disabled list with his 11th homer in the second inning. Zimmerman added an RBI single in the second and Washington broke it open in the fourth with a three-run rally.

McClellan (6-3), who had been out since May 30 with a hip injury, ended up going five innings and surrendering five runs - three earned - on seven hits.

The Nationals piled on against the St. Louis bullpen, getting three more in the seventh on Morse’s 12th homer - a two-run shot - and Espinosa followed with his 11th. Jayson Werth chipped in a solo homer in the eighth.