Atlanta Braves prove their mettle to defeat Washington Nationals 9-8 – MLB Update
The Atlanta Braves replicated their top-quality performance of the first half in the second half as they defeated the Washington Nationals 9-8 at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, July 17.
The Braves came out victorious in a game that went neck-to-neck before the Braves took control at the dying moments. With the Nationals dominating until the sixth inning, it was Nate McLouth’s heroism under pressure that shifted the momentum and helped the
Braves through.
Atlanta made a strong start to the game when Jordan Schafer and Martin Prado added a run each in the first inning.
The Washington Nationals acted proactively when they changed their starter Tom Gorzelanny after just two innings. It seemed to be more of a tactic and not the two runs that became the cause of the change.
As soon as Gorzelanny was replaced at the mound, he came to the plate and added an important run for the Nationals in the top of third inning followed by Roger Bernadina’s run which levelled the score at two runs each after three innings of play.
The Nationals did not stop here and accelerated the scoring rate in the fourth inning. Laynce Nix, Jesus Flores, Bernadina and Danny Espinosa added a run each for the Nationals in the fourth inning to take the score to 6-2 and cement a strong four-run lead
at a crucial time.
Jair Jurrjens has been impressive at the mound for Atlanta this season but this was just not his night. Having already registered 12 wins at an ERA of 2.26, Jurrjens could not make an impact on this game. He was replaced after five innings in which he gave
away eight hits and six runs.
Facing a deficit of four runs, the Braves had to reply sooner than later. They took their chance in the fifth inning and succeeded in the execution of their plan as they managed to bag five critical runs helped by a three-run homer by Brian McCann.
Wilkin Ramirez added one run before Jason Heyward and Schafer completed their runs off McCann’s home-run. With the score level at 6-6, Freddie Freeman added one run to set up a one-run lead for the Nationals. The high scoring inning dented the confidence
of the Nationals who could not stage an efficient comeback later.
The Nationals showed their fighting spirit immediately after the fifth inning scoring spree. Espinosa displayed his arm strength when he unleashed a hit 403 feet in to the stands allowing Bernadina to complete his third run of the game. The Nationals managed
to post a single run lead for the Braves to chase down and in the end it did not turn out to be a problem.
McLouth’s home-run under pressure in the penultimate inning levelled the score before Prado scored his second run in the ninth inning to seal the game for the Braves.
The Braves won the series 2-1 and are now comfortably placed at second position in the National League East Division, 8.5 games ahead of third place New York Mets.
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