Washington Nationals’ bullpen implodes, hands Atlanta Braves a 13-9 win...

Four straight walks (three by Trevor Rosenthal and one by Tanner Rainey) started a four-run rally for the Atlanta Braves in the eighth which tied things up at 8-8, and after Washington’s third baseman, Anthony Rendon scored from third base on a wild pitch in the home-half of the eighth inning, Nationals’ right-hander Joe Ross came on in relief and gave up four runs on five hits, with a three-run homer by Dansby Swanson capping off the comeback in what ended up a 13-9 win for the visiting team in the nation’s capital.

Sánchez vs the Braves: In his first start back from an Injured List stint for a hamstring issue, Aníbal Sánchez tossed five perfect innings against the Braves, and retired 16 consecutive batters before surrendering a hit and a walk in the sixth inning in SunTrust Park. Sánchez settled for six scoreless innings in what ended up a 14-4 win, and he’s kept going since that start, with a 1.54 ERA in four starts and 23 ¹⁄₃ IP since he came off the IL.

Going up against Atlanta again tonight, the right-hander, whose bounce-back campaign in the Braves’ rotation last year led to his deal with the Nationals, got off to a good start with two scoreless on 33 pitches, but a 2-0 pitch to Tyler Flowers in the third went out to center for a solo home run that got the Braves on the board, down 3-1.

Sánchez walked Freddie Freeman to start the top of the fourth, and the first baseman took second on a groundout and scored on a single to center by Nick Markakis to make it a 5-2 game.

The Braves added two runs in the top of the fifth, with back-to-back-to-back, two-out hits, a single by Ronald Acuña, Jr., double by Dansby Swanson, and a two-run single to right field by Freddie Freeman making it a one-run game, 5-4.

It was 8-4 when Sánchez returned to the mound in the sixth and retired the Braves in order in a 14-pitch frame that ended his outing...

Aníbal Sánchez’s Line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 Ks, 1 HR, 97 P, 60 S, 4/2 GO/FO.

Folty vs D.C.: Braves’ starter Mike Foltynewicz snapped a three-start winless streak (over which he was 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA, five walks, 18 Ks, and a .290/.343/.629 line against in 16 IP), in a strong outing against the Phillies earlier this week, giving up just one run on four hits (and five walks) in six innings of work in a 15-1 win.

Going up against the Nationals for the first time this season tonight, the right-hander gave up a run in the first, with Trea Turner singling, stealing second, and scoring (after a walk by Adam Eaton) on a Juan Soto single to center field, 1-0. Matt Adams followed Soto’s RBI hit with a two-run home run on a 3-0 fastball up in the zone, 3-0. No. 10 for Adams.

Trea Turner walked to start the bottom of the third inning, with the score 3-1, and Anthony Rendon singled with one down, before both runners scored on a triple to right field by Juan Soto, whose second hit of the night, and second triple in two games, made it 5-1 Nationals.

It was 5-4 in the fifth when Trea Turner, Adam Eaton, and Anthony Rendon connected on back-to-back-to-back singles that made it 6-4, ending Foltynewicz’s night...

Mike Foltynewicz’s Line: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 2 Ks, 1 HR, 73 P, 49 S, 2/3 GO/FO.

No Rush, Zim. (Kidding, of course, we ❤️ Zim): Matt Adams started the night with a total of eight extra-base hits (five home runs, three doubles) in his last 13 starts, and the 30-year-old slugger was hitting .265/.300/.531 with six doubles, eight home runs, six walks, and 18 runs scored in 30 starts overall this season.

Adams was 1 for 1 with a walk in 3-0 counts on the season before he homered on a 3-0 pitch from Mike Foltynewicz in the home-half of the first, for the first 3-0 homer of his career, and a 3-0 lead. We’re just going to type “3-0” again for the fun of it here, 3-0.

BULLPEN ACTION: Braves’ lefty Jerry Blevins took over with runners on the corners and no one out in the fifth and gave up a sac fly by Juan Soto, 7-4 Nationals.

Matt Adams (2 for 3) singled in the next at bat to put two on with one out, and Kurt Suzuki hit a 3-2 fastball to center field for an RBI hit that made it 8-4 Nationals.

Braves’ lefty Grant Dayton tossed a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth.

Trevor Rosenthal got the seventh for the Nationals, and gave up a five-pitch, leadoff walk... then a six-pitch walk ... and a third straight free pass, loading the bases before he was lifted, having thrown 15 pitches total, just three for strikes.

Tanner Rainey came on with three on and no one out and issued the fourth straight walk, missing on a 3-2 pitch and forcing in a run, 8-5, after starting up 0-2 on Dansby Swanson, and a first-pitch fastball to Freddie Freeman got lined to center for a base-clearing, game-tying double, 8-8.

Freeman took third on a fly to center by Josh Donaldson, but was stranded there two outs later, in what was all of a sudden a brand new ballgame.

Braves’ lefty A.J. Minter hit Anthony Rendon in the first at bat of the Nationals’ seventh, with a fastball to the foot, and gave up a single to center by Juan Soto on an 0-2 cutter.

Matt Adams grounded into what looked like a 6-3 DP in the next AB, but Dansby Swanson sailed the throw to first after stepping on the second base bag. Rendon took third on the E:6, and after Kurt Suzuki K’d swinging for out No. 2, he scored on a wild pitch, 9-8 Nats.

Joe Ross, who was rumored to be starting tomorrow’s game, came on in the eighth in relief and gave up back-to-back singles by Ozzie Albies and Tyler Flowers which put runners on first and third with no one out, and the third straight hit, a double by Johan Camargo, tied it up at 9-9. One out later, Dansby Swanson hit a 1-1 slider out to left field for a three-run blast that made it 12-9 Braves after seven and a half.

Anthony Swarzak struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth.

Matt Grace gave up a run on an RBI double by Charlie Culberson in the top of the eighth, 13-9, and

Luke Jackson came on for the Braves in the ninth and gave up leadoff and one-out walks, but got a game-ending double play out of Kurt Suzuki. 13-9 Braves final.

Nationals now 37-39