The Braves erupted for 16 hits — including four from Brandon Phillips — to defeat the Nationals, 13-2, at Nationals Park for their first series victory in Washington since 2014. The top of Atlanta’s lineup — Ender Inciarte, Phillips and Nick Markakis — combined to hit 10-for-16 with seven runs scored and six RBIs.
Julio Teheran put together his second consecutive strong start by allowing two runs in seven innings, handing the Nationals their fifth loss in six days. Both runs came in the second inning when Brian Goodwin notched his third home run in four games.
Tanner Roark entered the game with a 1.95 ERA in 15 career appearances against the Braves, but he gave up seven runs over five innings. The Nationals bullpen, which came in with the worst ERA in the National League, surrendered six runs in the seventh frame.
The Atlanta lineup didn’t waste any time getting into gear. The Braves put up four hits and three runs in the first inning off Roark, setting the tone for what would be a banner day for the offense. The game started with a single by Inciarte, an RBI double from Phillips, an RBI single by Markakis and, two batters later, a Matt Adams RBI single to make it 3-0. With the early lead in hand, the Braves wouldn’t look back the rest of the day.
Teheran may have had a solid day on the mound, but it was his work at the plate that helped put the Nats away. With two outs in the top of the seventh inning, Washington elected to walk the bases loaded to face the Braves starter with hopes of keeping it a 7-2 game. Instead, Teheran worked the count full and drew a walk to score Adams, setting the stage for what would ultimately be a six-run frame.
After a day off on Thursday, Atlanta will head back home to SunTrust Park to face another NL East rival in the Miami Marlins. The three-game set kicks off Friday night at 6:35 p.m. CT and will pit left-hander Sean Newcomb (0-1, 0.00 ERA) against Dan Straily (4-4, 3.89 ERA).
