CINCINNATI -- The four-day All-Star break didn't dull Bryce Harper's edge.

Gio Gonzalez handled an even longer hiatus just fine, too.

Harper hit two home runs, Stephen Drew and Anthony Rendon added run-scoring singles and Gonzalez turned in a season-high 8 1/3 innings as the Washington Nationals pounced on the Cincinnati Reds for a 5-0 win in the opener of a four-game series on Friday.

Gonzalez, who lost each of his last three starts despite not allowing more than three runs in any of them, gave up just four hits and two walks with six strikeouts for his first win since June 20 at Miami. Gonzalez (8-4), who hadn't pitched since July 6, retired 15 of the last 16 batters he faced and allowed just two runners to reach second base. Three of Cincinnati's hits off of Gonzalez were infield singles as the left-hander threw 113 pitches, 74 for strikes.

Washington manager Dusty Baker lifted Gonzalez after he coaxed Reds All-Star first baseman Joey Votto into flying out to start the ninth.

"That was as sharp as I've seen him, and the longest," Baker said. "He kept his sharpness. This is a tough offensive team he faced in a very short ballpark. It was outstanding for Gio. I thought that was long enough for him because we need him for, I don't know, 15 or 20 more starts."

Was Baker tempted to give Gonzalez a shot at his first complete game since 2013?

"It wasn't that tempting," Baker said. "No, I wasn't that tempted."

Gonzalez didn't question Baker's move.

"It was a lot of work -- second half, coming back and going eight innings," he said through a translator. "That's a good way to start the second half. I was pretty exhausted. Well, that's a strong word, exhausted. I got some work in today, definitely. It was good to see that Skip let me go out there in the ninth. I was told to go out there in the ninth and pitch, and I felt good enough to keep pitching."

The Reds (39-50) loaded the bases with two outs against reliever Matt Albers in the ninth, but Matt Grace came in and got Tucker Barnhart to ground out on the first pitch for his first career save.

"We weren't able to get any pressure on Gio," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "We didn't have any push at all to get back into the game until the ninth inning. I think we only had six baserunners. That was a dominant performance."

Cincinnati was shut out for just the second time this season. The shutout win was the third for Washington (53-36).

Reds starter Tim Adleman (5-7) picked up in the first game after the All-Star break where he left off before the hiatus. Adleman, who lost his last two and four of his last five starts before the break, allowed three hits, a walk and two runs in the first inning. Drew and Rendon delivered back-to-back, two-out RBI singles. Rendon extended his hitting streak to eight games.

Harper followed Wilmer Difo's third-inning leadoff single with his 21st homer, a drive into the right-field seats. The All-Star starter extended his hitting streak to nine games with the shot before leading off the fifth with a drive well over the center field fence -- the 14th multi-homer game of his career and fourth this season.

"Coming back from the All-Star game, (I'm) trying to get a pitch out of the plate I can drive and I got two tonight," Harper said.

Adleman, who logged five innings in each of four starts before Friday, lasted just 4 1/3, his shortest start of the season that didn't involve an injury. Neck soreness limited him to one inning on May 14 at San Francisco. He allowed five runs and seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

NOTES: The Nationals recalled RHPs Austin Adams and Trevor Gott from Triple-A Syracuse before Friday's game. Washington optioned LHP Sammy Solis to Syracuse on Thursday and placed RHP Joe Ross on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to July 11, with a right elbow sprain. The Nationals were awaiting results of an MRI test of Ross's elbow before deciding on a next step. ... Washington OF Jayson Werth continues to have problems with the left toe contusion that has kept him sidelined since June 3, putting a damper on Nationals hopes that he'd be back in time for their series in Arizona that is scheduled to start on July 21. More intensive workouts lead to increased soreness. ... Reds C Devin Mesoraco took batting practice on Friday and is expected to catch a bullpen session on Saturday. Mesoraco went on the disabled list on July 3 with a left shoulder strain.