Braves vs Nats Recap: Rally Falls Short as Nats Pour It On

The Atlanta Braves visited Washington on Tuesday, looking to build on their exciting 9-4 win from the day before. However, the Nationals came out swinging right from the start. During the first inning, Washington's bats exploded with three quick runs. Young singled to center, driving in Wood, then Lile walked to score García Jr. After that, Nuñez added another single, and suddenly the Nationals led 3-0 before the Braves even recorded an out.

Atlanta's Reynaldo López took the mound as the starting pitcher, but the early damage was done. The Braves needed to respond quickly if they wanted to stay competitive. In the second inning, they finally got on the board when Harris II crushed a double to right field, scoring Dubón. The Braves were down 3-1 at that point, but they still had plenty of baseball left to play.

Both teams showed their power in the middle innings, trading big hits back and forth. In the third inning, Baldwin stepped up to the plate and smacked a home run that soared 438 feet to center field, cutting Washington's lead to 4-2. The Braves were definitely not out of this game. When White came to bat in the fifth inning, he launched his own home run into right field, a 348-foot blast that made it 4-3. Atlanta was creeping closer.

Meanwhile, the Nationals answered right back. In the fifth inning, García Jr. singled to center, scoring House and bringing Washington back up 5-3. Although the Braves were playing hard and hitting the ball well, the Nationals kept their lead. Both offenses were taking their turns, but Washington held on through the middle innings. The game felt close, and anything could happen in the later rounds.

The game completely changed in the seventh inning when Washington's bats came alive again. García Jr. doubled to center, and two runners came home on the play, making it 7-3 Nationals. Young then grounded out, but that allowed another run to score, pushing it to 8-3. Washington was building momentum fast. In the eighth inning, things got even worse for Atlanta. Mead hit a home run that soared 395 feet to left field, and because there were already two runners on base, the three-run blast put Washington ahead 11-3. The Braves scored one more in the eighth when Riley grounded out to first, but by then it was too late. Final score: Washington 11, Atlanta 4.

Although Atlanta fought hard throughout, the Nationals' late surge proved too much to overcome.