Washington Nationals fall behind early, lose 11-8 to Atlanta Braves; rubber match in D.C. tomorrow...

Freddie Freeman basically dared him to have a good outing, commenting on how it was a good break for the Atlanta Braves that Max Scherzer couldn’t start for Washington tonight, which it obviously was, but Nationals’ righty Erick Fedde, who got the nod instead of the Nats’ ace, struggled from the start in the nation’s capital, and left the game after just 3 ²⁄₃ innings pitched in which he got lit up for nine hits and nine runs in what ended up an 11-8 loss.

Fedde vs ATL: In his last two starts in the majors before tonight, Erick Fedde had a 1.80 ERA, two walks, four Ks, and a .242/.278/.394 line against in 10 innings pitched, leaving him with a 3.40 ERA, 17 walks, 19 Ks, and a .264/.348/.417 opponents’ line overall in his eight starts for the Nationals this season.

Washington’s 2014 1st Round pick somehow avoided Atlanta in his 27 appearances and 22 big league starts before tonight, but he was called up to face the Braves in the second of three with the Nationals’ NL East rivals this week when Max Scherzer ended up back on the Injured List after coming off for one start, after which he did not recover well.

Fedde worked around a walk and an error in the first, but a one-out single and a walk and a bunt that moved both runners into scoring position set the Braves up for their first run to come in on a passed ball on which Ender Inciarte, who’d singled to start the opportunity, scored from third ahead of a toss to the plate by Yan Gomes to the covering pitcher, 1-0.

Ozzie Albies doubled to the out-of-town scoreboard in right to start the top of the third and scored on an RBI single by Freddie Freeman in the next at bat, 2-0. Freeman scored on a hit to right by Brian McCann to make it 3-0, and McCann and Adam Duvall, who singled as well, both came in on a double to right by Inciarte, 5-0.

Josh Donaldson hit a three-run home run to right in the top of the fourth, sending his 24th of 2019 over the out-of-town scoreboard to put the Braves up 8-0. Adam Duvall hit one out to left a batter later to make it a 9-0 game and end Fedde’s outing...

Erick Fedde’s Line: 3.2 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 4 BB, 4 Ks, 2 HRs, 93 P, 55 S, 7/0 GO/FO.

Teheran vs D.C.: Julio Teheran held the Nationals to a run on four hits in 5 ²⁄₃ innings on the mound when he faced the Braves’ NL East rivals in SunTrust Park earlier this month, but he received no decision in what ended up a 4-3 win for Atlanta.

“He was in and out, in and out, fastballs up, just couldn’t get nothing going,” Nats’ skipper Davey Martinez told reporters when asked why the right-hander was so effective after the loss.

Teheran took the mound tonight in the nation’s capital with a 3.42 ERA overall on the year, 54 walks, 108 Ks, and a .221/.319/.365 line against in 118 ¹⁄₃ IP.

He tossed three scoreless to start, on just 38 pitches, as the Braves jumped out to a 9-0 lead, and he was up to just 65 pitches after he worked around a walk in a scoreless fifth.

One and two-out singles in the sixth set Brian Dozier up with an RBI opportunity he cashed in with a single to left field that got the Nationals on the board, down 9-1.

It was 11-1 Braves in the seventh when Trea Turner homered on a 3-1 fastball and Adam Eaton singled to end Teheran’s outing with the score 11-2 in the Braves’ favor...

Julio Teheran’s Line: 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 Ks, 1 HR, 104 P, 72 S.

Rendon, Rendon, Rendon: Anthony Rendon went 2 for 5 with a single and a grand slam in last night’s win, and the first of the two hits gave him at least one in 17 of his last 19 games, over which he was 27 for 73 (.370/.460/.616), with nine doubles, three home runs, 20 RBIs, 11 walks, and 11 runs scored. Rendon made it 18 of 20 with a single in the sixth, connecting for what was just the Nationals’ third hit off Braves’ starter Julio Teheran.

He ended up going 1 for 3 overall, exiting early in the blowout.

BULLPEN ACTION: Javy Guerra finished off the fourth for the Nationals after Erick Fedde gave up four runs for the second consecutive frame, making it a 9-0 game in the Braves’ favor.

Guerra worked around a single for a scoreless, 10-pitch fifth, and retired the side in order in an 11-pitch sixth, but he gave up the second home run of the game by Adam Duvall in the top of the seventh, 10-1, before Ender Inciarte doubled and scored on an RBI single by Julio Teheran, 11-1.

A.J. Minter came on for the Braves in the seventh after the Nationals added a run on a home run by Trea Turner, 11-2, and worked around a walk to Adrían Sanchez to get out of trouble...

Michael Blazek worked around a single for a scoreless eighth, and the Nats chipped away at the Braves’ lead with a three-run home run by Yan Gomes off Anthony Swarzak in the home-half of the eighth, 11-5. No. 6 of 2019 for Gomes.

Tony Sipp tossed a scoreless top of the ninth.

Luke Jackson got the bottom of the ninth inning for the Braves and gave up a leadoff single by Adam Eaton, a one-out, two-run home run to left field by Juan Soto, (No. 19), 11-7 Braves, a double by Howie Kendrick (3 for 5 tonight), and RBI single by Brian Dozier, 11-8. That was as close as the Nationals got, however...

Final Score: 11-8 Braves.

Nationals now 57-50