The Atlanta Braves blanked the Washington Nationals 12-0 on Tuesday night in the opener of a brief two-game National League East set at Nationals Park in Washington DC.
The Braves notched four runs in the top of the third inning on a ground rule double by Jorge Soler, an RBI double by Matt Olson, and two-run double by Ramon Laureano. Michael Harris II clubbed a solo home run during the fourth.
Olson and Laureano also contributed RBI singles in that inning to make it 7-0 in favor of Atlanta. Orlando Arcia hit a solo home run during the fifth. Sean Murphy had a two-run homer in the sixth. He drove in another run with an RBI single in the eighth. Harris hit his second homer of the night to lead off the ninth.
Atlanta’s starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez left after one inning with shoulder tightness. Jesse Chavez secured the win. MacKenzie Gore took the loss for Washington.
The Braves improved to 79-66 on the 2024 regular season, still eight games behind the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies and now tied with the New York Mets for the final NL Wild Card spot. They will wrap up their division series at Washington DC versus the Nationals this evening at 6:45 pm. Listen to play-by-play coverage from the Atlanta Braves Radio Network on WLAQ 1410 AM/96.9 FM; airtime is 5:30 pm.