Washington (50-85) is now 4-0 on its nine-game homestand, matching the longest winning streak of the season. And somehow one of baseball’s worst offensive teams has scored 25 runs during that stretch. Add in the previous series against the Chicago Cubs and the Nats have posted 41 runs in their last seven games.

“It’s only four games. We know these guys are better than they have shown,” Nats manager Manny Acta said. “All I can say is some guys are getting healthy and we’re getting some guys back and also some guys who had come back are getting into a rhythm a little bit.”

The top of the order did most of the damage against Atlanta (59-76), which has lost 14 of its last 18 games. One day after hitting for the cycle, Cristian Guzman was 2-for-5 with an RBI double. Ryan Zimmerman was 1-for-3, but drove in two runs and Lastings Milledge was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Eighth-place batter Emilio Bonifacio smacked his fourth triple of the month and was 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and a stolen base.

“We’re going to try to finish up strong and leave a mark going into next year,” said outfielder Willie Harris, who batted leadoff and drew three walks, scoring twice.

Perez did his job, posting yet another quality start. He held the Braves to two hits and a walk through four innings. Atlanta did cut into a 5-0 Nats lead thanks to a two-run pinch-hit home run by Greg Norton and an RBI double by Martin Prado in the fifth inning. But Perez escaped by getting Chipper Jones to ground out to second and then retired Atlanta in order in the sixth. The right-hander previously escaped a bases-loaded jam with one out on the first by inducing a 1-6-3 double play from Yunel Escobar, one of three double plays the Braves shortstop hit into on a miserable 0-for-4 evening.

“I threw my fastball a lot. Earlier in the year I would use my breaking ball when I was ahead in the count,” said Perez, who has recorded five quality starts — three runs or less in six innings — over his last six appearances. “They maybe were waiting for my breaking ball.”

Perez recorded one out in the seventh and left with seven hits allowed and three runs, only two earned. He also walked two and struck out three batters before turning things over to the bullpen, which has been almost perfect through the first four games of the homestand. Five different relievers helped record the final eight outs and the Nats bullpen has allowed one earned run in its last 12 2/3 innings.

Nats notes


» The Gulf Coast League Nationals won Game 1, 5-1, of their best-of-three championship series vs. the GCL Phillies on Friday afternoon in Viera, Fla. Shortstop Esmailyn Gonzalez, the GCL batting champion, was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Outfielder J.P. Ramirez, whom the Nats selected in the 15th round of the June draft and signed just minutes before the Aug. 15 deadline, was also 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Chris Kelley pitched 6 1/3 innings of relief to get the win. The GCL Nats can clinch the league title this afternoon in Clearwater, Fla. Left-handed pitcher Jack McGeary, a sixth-round pick in 2007 who led the GCL with 64 strikeouts, starts for the Nats

» Washington opened two spots on its official 40-man roster by outrighting Triple-A relief pitchers Chris Schroder and Brian Sanches, both right-handers. The move allows room for September call-ups next week. Both pitchers had brief stints in the District this summer. Schroder allowed three runs in five innings. Sanches pitched in 12 games, actually won two, but gave up 16 hits and nine earned runs in 11 innings.

» The Nats named six of the seven minor-league prospects the club will send to the Arizona Fall League in October. Right-handed pitchers Adam Carr and Zech Zinicola, left-handed pitcher Cory VanAllen, infielders Ian Desmond and Bill Rhinehart and outfielder Leonard Davis will all participate in the instructional league. Davis and Zinicola finished the season with Triple-A Columbus. The other four players were at Double-A Harrisburg. The Nats still have one roster spot remaining.