Nationals Take Three Out of Four Versus Reigning Division Champs
The Washington Nationals snapped their 4 game losing streak on June 7 after a win versus the Atlanta Braves and continued their winning ways by taking down the defending National League (NL) East Champions.
Game One
The Nationals entered game one of this four game series on Thursday June 6, after being swept by division rival the New York Mets. The Nationals were looking to get back on the right track versus the reigning NL East Champion Braves, who were coming off of a two game series vs the Boston Red Sox.
The Nationals would have their work cut out for them, as their batters would have to go up against one of the best starting pitchers (SP) in the MLB, Reynaldo Lopez. Lopez is having a career year as a SP after not even being a starter in the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) season. The 30 year old right handed pitcher (RHP) would enter this game versus the Nationals as an All Star candidate, with 1.73 earned run average (ERA), and 55 strikeouts (K).
Lopez’s night would end in the bottom of the seventh inning after giving up two home runs (HR) to Lane Thomas and CJ Abrams, respectively, in the top of the sixth inning.
Photo Credit: Joe Sargent/Getty Images
After five innings of shutout baseball the Nationals now led the Braves 2-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.
Mitchell Parker would toe the rubber for the Nationals in game one. The 24-year old left handed pitcher (LHP) would continue to impress Nationals fans all around the D.C. area. The LHP ended his night in the eighth inning after giving up a two-run home run to Braves left fielder (LF) Adam Duvall in the seventh.
Parker would end his night with 7 IP of 2 run baseball, walking 0 Atlanta Batters, and striking out 2 batters.
With a tied game in the top of the eighth inning the Nationals would go to their stopper out of the bullpen, Hunter Harvey. Harvey would record two outs in the inning before finding trouble with a runner on second base, and Braves third baseman (3B), Austin Riley, up to bat. On a 1-1 count with two out in the inning Riley would drive in the go ahead run off of a RBI single.
The Nationals were down 3-2 in the top of the eighth inning, and up to bat was designated hitter, Marcell Ozuna. Ozuna up to this point in the MLB season had 17 HR on his season, and was also making a case to be an All Star for the third time in his career.
On a 0-0 count Ozuna swung at the first pitch he saw from Harvey, and sent the ball over the Braves bullpen to increase their lead by three runs. The Braves now lead the Nationals 5-2 in the top of the eighth inning.
The Braves would call on Aaron Bummer, Joe Jiménez, and Raisel Iglesias to finish game one of the series.
The Nationals would not start their series versus the Braves off on the right foot losing 5-2 in the series opener, but with three more games left it was far from over.
The Braves lead the series 1-0.
Game Two
Game two began with the Nationals letting Jake Irvin take the bump. Irvin was coming off of a rough month record wise. The 27 year old RHP went 0-3 in the month of May, but recorded an impressive 2.45 ERA .
After losing game one of the series the Nationals knew that they had to bounce back to tie the series versus the Braves. But if game one was difficult versus Lopez, then game two versus seven time All Star Chris Sale would be insanely difficult.
Sale entered this game coming off of an undefeated month of pitching, going 8-0 with a 0.56 ERA during that month, the Nationals had their work cut out for them.
The LHP started his first three innings scoreless, striking out five Nationals batters.
In the fourth inning Nationals shortstop (SS), CJ Abrams, would start the inning with a double to left field. Then with one out in the inning 3B Nick Senzel would draw a walk.
Nationals Manager, Davy Martinez, would call for a double steal. CJ Abrams would record his ninth stolen base (SB) of the season, and Nick Senzel his first. The throw would get away from Braves second baseman (2B), Ozzie Albies, allowing Abrams to score off the error.
With two outs in the inning Ildemaro Vargas drove in Senzel on an RBI single, giving the Nationals a 2-0 lead over Sale.
Jake Irvin would look at this lead that his batters just gave him and get very comfortable on the mound. Irvin would pitch two more innings before ending his night in the seventh inning.
Sale would also continue his night, despite the deficit he and his team faced. Sale’s night would end in the bottom of the eighth inning.
In the top of the eighth inning the Nationals still led 2-0 over the Braves, on the mound for Washington was Hunter Harvey.
Harvey once again got two outs in the top of the eighth inning, and was looking to send the Nationals to the bottom.
Marcell Ozuna stepped up to the plate once again, and Harvey found himself in a familiar situation. Once again on the first pitch of the at-bat (AB) Ozuna swung, and drove the ball out to left center. It appeared Nationals Center fielder Jacob Young had a read on the ball, but he played it just short which allowed the hustling Ozuna to slide into second base with a two out double.
Next to bat was first baseman (1B) Matt Olson, on a 2-2 pitch Olson hit an RBI single. The Braves were now down by one run and Nationals fans in attendance and watching at home all let out one big groan.
Good news for Nationals fans is that Harvey would get out of the inning only allowing one run.
The Nationals would call on their closer Kyle Finnegan to end the game. The Nationals would beat the Braves 2-1.
The series is now tied 1-1
Game Three
Winning game two was huge for the Nationals, and the team recognized that they had found some kind of grove after that win.
The Washington batters wasted no time getting started. With two runners on in the bottom of the first inning former Brave Eddie Rosario stepped up to the plate and roped a double, putting the Nationals up 2-0 early.
The Nationals would add to that lead in the next inning off of a CJ Abrams single. Then in the fourth inning the Nationals used a single from Nick Senzel to increase their lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth.
The Braves would start to fight back in the fifth, using an Ozzie Albies double to score their first run. But the Nationals weren’t backing down in this game.
Eddie Rosario would step back up to the plate again in the bottom half of the fifth, and with Lane Thomas in scoring position Rosario would drive him in with a single to right field. The Nationals led the Braves 5-1
The Braves would later use a wild pitch to score their second run of the game.
Then the Nationals would come right back and score in the bottom half of the sixth inning off of a Nick Senzel two-run home run. The Nationals led the Braves 7-2.
But Atlanta was not ready to give up, as All Star catcher (C) Sean Murphy would launch a baseball to right center to give the Braves their third run of the night.
This effort was not enough though as the Nationals would close out this game 7-3.
Nationals ace, Mackenzie Gore, utilized the runs that his batters provided him to pitch 5 innings, and strike out 7 Braves batters.
The Nationals lead the series 2-1
Game 4
Nationals fans had to be proud of their team at this point in the series. But they also thought that the Braves batters would come back to tie the series at 2-2.
The Braves batters got the party rolling early in the game, in the top of the second inning Braves center fielder (CF) Michael Harris II hit a single to left field to put the Braves up 1-0.
A wild pitch later on in the same inning would allow the Braves to increase their lead to 2-0 over the Nationals.
The Nationals did not start this game off on the right foot, but that same “Stay in the fight” attitude that brought a World Series to Washington D.C. kept the Nationals in this one. In the bottom of the fourth inning the Nationals would “Stay in the fight” by using a Luis Garcia single to score their first run.
Then with two outs in the inning Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz would step up to the plate and hit a three-run home run to put the Nationals up 4-2.
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Even with the lead now in their control the Nationals were not done, as in the same inning with the bases loaded Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams would rope a three-run double down the right field line to clear the bases. The Nationals were on top 7-2 in the bottom of the fourth.
The Nationals would add to their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning off of a Keibert Ruiz sacrifice fly, increasing the Nationals lead 8-2.
The Nationals would be on “cruise control” for the rest of this game, until they weren’t.
In the top of the ninth inning the Nationals looked to send their fans in attendance home happy by winning this game, and the series in dominant fashion. But with one out, and two runners on, Jarred Kelenic sent a ball flying to right field to bring the Braves closer to the Nationals. The Nationals called on their closer, Kyle Finnegan, again to close out the game and give the Nationals a 8-5 win over the Braves.
The Nationals would win the series 3-1 over the reigning NL East Champion Atlanta Braves, and make themselves a nice little win streak.
Washington begins a new series with the Detroit Tigers on June 11, 2024.