Jacob Young had two hits, including an RBI double to highlight a three-run seventh inning, helping the visiting Washington Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 5-1 on Sunday to salvage the finale of a three-game series.
Washington is 7-4 against Atlanta this year and is guaranteed to win the season series against the Braves for the first time since 2017.
The Nationals’ decisive uprising, which broke a 1-1 tie, came against relievers Luke Jackson (4-3) and Aaron Bummer and was aided by some shaky Atlanta defense.
Washington’s Keibert Ruiz reached on an error by second baseman Whit Merrifield and went to third on a single by Drew Millas, who then advanced to second on a passed ball. Ruiz scored on a wild pitch and Young added his RBI double. CJ Abrams followed with an RBI single that glanced off Merrifield’s glove.
Abrams singled home an insurance run in the ninth.
Washington starter DJ Herz allowed only one hit — a second-inning single by Orlando Arcia — in five scoreless innings. He walked three and struck out eight. Herz has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his past seven starts, with 42 strikeouts over 34 1/3 innings.
Jacob Barnes (8-2) allowed the tying run but was the beneficiary of the seventh-inning rally. Eduardo Salazar pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, and Kyle Finnegan worked the final 1 1/3 innings to earn his 32nd save of the season.
Atlanta starter Reynaldo Lopez pitched six innings and allowed one run on three hits to go along with three walks and seven strikeouts.
The Nationals scored a run in the first. James Wood drew a one-out walk and advanced to third when Luis Garcia Jr. singled. Wood scored when Andres Chaparro grounded into a double play, with Garcia getting in a rundown long enough to allow the run to score.
Atlanta, which was limited to three hits, tied the game at 1-1 in the sixth when Matt Olson hit a 429-foot homer to center field, his 22nd long ball of 2024, against Barnes.
Atlanta’s Michael Harris II was hit by a pitch on the left wrist in the first. He was replaced by Jarred Kelenic as a precautionary move in the fifth after experiencing soreness.
–Field Level Media
