Washington Nationals 8-4 over Atlanta Braves: Nats hit four homers in win...

Patrick Corbin gave up five consecutive hits in his last start before this afternoon’s, then settled in, retiring eight straight to end his third outing of the Spring. Corbin talked with reporters afterward about just getting his work in and testing himself as he prepares for what will be his first season in Washington, D.C. after signing a 6-year/$140M free agent deal this past December.

“I was just trying to establish my fastball early,” Corbin explained when asked about his early-outing struggles against the St. Louis Cardinals last week.

“I thought it was down in the zone,” he said, “maybe a little bit too much of the plate, gave up a couple hits there, thought I made a couple decent pitches that also fell in. Just seems like I couldn’t get an out there, but it felt good to get around 30 pitches in an inning for the first time this Spring and just try to see how I felt after that, and I felt pretty strong coming in fairly quick to the second inning, to go back out there, so I was just trying to make quality pitches and we were able to use the changeup quite a bit today too, so that was part of our game plan.”

Corbin ended up throwing 58 pitches total in that start.

Manager Davey Martinez said before today’s game that he wanted to get the left-hander up to around 75 pitches in start No. 4...

Ozzie Albies reached base on a swinging bunt on a 1-2 pitch from Corbin in the first at bat of today’s game, beating out a slow roller to the left side of the infield that the pitcher got to but pocketed.

Corbin got a glove on a grounder back to the mound off Dansby Swanson’s bat, slowing it just enough to keep Trea Turner and Brian Dozier from turning a 6-4-3 DP. Ronald Acuña, Jr. stepped in next, with a runner on and one out, and hit a low 2-1 curve down the third base line and into the left field corner for an RBI double and a 1-0 Braves’ lead.

Acuña, Jr. stole third base in the next at bat, but Corbin got a swinging strikeout from Johan Camargo with a 2-2 slider, and after walking Adam Duvall when he missed with a 3-2 slider, got up 0-2 on Austin Riley and got a groundout to second base with a fastball that ended a 28-pitch opening frame.

With the Nationals up 3-1 after one, Corbin got a fly to left field with his first pitch to Pedro Florimon in the top of the second, got a fly to right from Sean Kazmar with a 1-0 fastball, and got up 0-2 on the next batter, Raffy Lopez, before dropping a 1-2 slider on the Braves’ catcher for a swinging K that ended a seven-pitch, 1-2-3 frame which left the lefty at 35 pitches total after two innings.

Albies hit an 0-1 fastball to short, a one-hop liner Trea Turner handled for the first out of the third. Swanson fought back from 0-2 to 2-2 before singling to center for the Braves’ third hit of the game, and he stole second ahead of a strong throw from Spencer Kieboom before he scored on a triple to right by Acuña, who hit a 2-1 slider over Adam Eaton’s head, 4-2 Nats.

Corbin got Camargo swinging with a 1-2 slider for out No. 2 on his 51st pitch of the outing, and got a groundout from Duval to end an 18-pitch third that left him at 53 pitches total.

Ryan Zimmerman fielded a weak roller off Austin Riley’s bat, but sailed a side-arm toss to the covering pitcher, E:3, allowing Riley to take second.

Corbin covered first base on another grounder to Zimmerman in the next at bat, but the tag was a second late, so Florimon arrived safely as Riley took third base, and a walk to Kazmar loaded the bases with no one out. Corbin got a fly to short right field that failed to advance the runners for out No. 1, but Albies hit one deep enough to left to bring in another run, 4-3 Nationals in the fourth.

That was it for the Braves in the fourth, and for Corbin, who threw 69 pitches total on the day before he was done.

Runs: Trea Turner took a 2-1 fastball up in the zone from Kevin Gausman and powered it out to left field for a towering, two-run home run in the first, going deep after Adam Eaton drew a leadoff walk from the Braves’ right-hander, 2-1. Turner’s first of the Spring.

Juan Soto came up next and hit a 2-2 fastball out to right for a second consecutive home run and a 3-1 lead.

Adam Eaton went the other way with a 3-1 pitch from from Braves’ right-hander Jose Rafael De Paula in the second and hit the third home run of the game for the Nationals, 4-1. Eaton’s second of the Spring.

With the score 4-3 in the fifth, Andrew Stevenson drove in a run with a single, though the Nats ran themselves out of an opportunity when Trea Turner (who’d reached first base on a force and stolen second) went too far around third on the Stevenson hit and was caught off the bag and tagged for the final out of the inning, 5-3 Nationals.

Brian Dozier’s second home run of the Spring went out to left off lefty Max Friend on a first-pitch fastball in the bottom of the fifth inning, 6-3 Nats. Thanks, Wind. Signed, Brian.

Bullpen Action + More: Sean Doolittle gave up Ronald Acuña, Jr.’s third hit of the day in the first at bat of the Braves’ fifth, but he got a 6-4-3 DP out of Johan Camargo, and a fly to left from Duvall to end a scoreless inning of work.

Trevor Rosenthal gave up a run in the sixth, with Ozzie Albies driving one off a sliding Brian Dozier with two runners on and two out in the inning, 6-4.

Carter Kieboom picked up where he left off last night (2 for 2, BB, 2 HRs, 3 RBIs), singling in a pinch hit appearance in the bottom of the sixth.

Kyle Barraclough gave up a leadoff double by the Braves’ next big thing, Cristian Pache, but stranded the only runner to reach base in a scoreless inning of work in the seventh.

Justin Miller retired the Braves in order in a quick, nine-pitch, 1-2-3 eighth.

Carter Kieboom brought Hunter Jones in from third with a sac fly, 7-4, after Jones walked and took third base on a single by Carter’s older brother, Spencer Kieboom. Luis Sardina drove Spencer in, 8-4.

Austen Williams got the top of the ninth for the Nationals and retired the side in order. 8-4 final.