The Washington Nationals coughed up a five-run lead, but against the Atlanta Braves it didn’t end up mattering.Clint Robinson singled in the tie-breaking run with two outs in the ninth inning and the Nationals won 7-6 Friday night for their 10th victory in 11 games against the Braves.Wilson Ramos had a single off Jim Johnson and Anthony Rendon, who had made a costly error an inning earlier, walked to bring up Robinson.Robinson went the other way through the left side of the infield off Johnson (2-6) for his second hit of the game to go with two walks and the Braves lost their sixth straight despite the comeback effort.Mark Melancon pitched around an infield single by Dansby Swanson for his fifth save with the Nationals and 35th overall.The Braves scored three times in the eighth inning to tie the game, with just one of the runs earned thanks to Nationals errors by third baseman Rendon and shortstop Danny Espinosa.Freddie Freeman, robbed of a home run earlier in the game, tied it with a two-run double off eventual victor Koda Glover (1-0). The Nats took the opener on Thursday by the score of 8-2 behind a strong outing by rookie Reynaldo Lopez.
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Ever since spring training, Washington Nationals Manager Dusty Baker has wanted Clint Robinson, his big first baseman, to smile. The streak ties the Montreal/Washington franchise record set by Rusty Staub with the Expos. Robinson is always serious, Baker says, a hard-worker unable to relax.
The Nats are back in action on Friday night against the Braves, this time with a 7:35 p.m. start as they look to win their second straight game.
Roark will be making his second consecutive start against the Braves, after limiting them to five hits, one run and two walks in seven innings Sunday in a 9-1 Nationals win.
Washington Nationals’ Bryce Harper celebrates in the dugout after driving in a run with a ground ball in the first inning of a baseball game against Atlanta Braves, Friday, Aug. 19, 2016, in Atlanta.
Roark walked Chase D’Arnaud in front of Freeman in the next at bat, but a pop to left ended a 22-pitch frame that left the Nationals’ starter at 91 pitches.
“I was pretty focused on getting after them this time”, Whalen said. Before that start, he had lasted at least seven innings in six straight starts. He had 10 whiffs through his first 4 2-3 innings.
Blake Treinen took over on the mound with one out in the seventh and retired both batters he faced to keep it a two-run lead, 5-3. He was charged with four runs (three earned).
But in the top of the ninth, after Wilson Ramos singled, then was pinch run for by Pedro Severino, Rendon walked. There were three walks, a hit batter, an error and a sacrifice fly in the inning.
The start of the game was delayed 76 minutes because of rain before the Nationals quickly claimed the lead thanks to two unearned runs.
The Nationals went back ahead by two runs in the fifth inning. Severino doubled and scored on a two-out double by Werth. “We’ve just got to play better, show these teams we’re capable of winning games”. After almost a decade in the minors spent trying to get to the majors, Robinson wants to make sure he stays.
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And about that guy Trea: The Braves need to find a way to slow Nationals rookie Trea Turner, who is 13-for-31 (.419) with four extra-base hits (two homers) and three stolen bases in 10 games against Atlanta over parts of two seasons.
