Freddie Freeman started the night with a .321/.395/.521 career line, 50 doubles, and 21 HRs in 159 games and 660 plate appearances against Washington, and a .319/.402/.490 line, 28 doubles, and seven home runs in Nationals Park, and the Atlanta Braves’ first baseman hit a two-run home run in the fourth to get the visiting team on the board, down 5-2, and another two-run shot in the seventh, which tied things up at 6-6.
Dansby Swanson put the Braves ahead 7-6 in the eighth with an opposite field home run on a 98 MPH 2-2 fastball from Tanner Rainey that went out to right field as well.
Home
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 11, 2020
TOP 7 // #Nats 6, Braves 4 pic.twitter.com/wk3CrYjtby
Voth vs ATL: In two starts against Atlanta this season, before tonight’s outing, Austin Voth gave up 16 hits (4 HRs), five walks, and 10 ER in 8 2⁄3 IP (10.38 ERA), with the Braves’ hitters putting up a .400/.467/.825 line against the 28-year-old right-hander.
After he gave up seven hits (3 HRs), two walks, and five earned runs in 4 2⁄3 IP against the Braves last week in Truist Park, Voth was asked what, if anything, he would take away from the outing.
“Today was a day about me just going out there and competing. I need to stop thinking about all the mechanics and whatnot,” Voth said, “because it’s something that — it’s not about mechanics anymore, it’s just about going out there and competing and hitting locations and getting outs basically.”
Facing the Nats’ NL East rivals for the second time in a week tonight, Voth retired the first nine batters he faced before giving up a leadoff walk to Ronald Acuña, Jr. in the fourth.
Freddie Freeman stepped in next, and hit a two-run blast to right field on a 2-2 fastball up in the zone outside to get the Braves on the board, down 5-2. Freeman’s 9th.
!#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/T8YeCTBRwO
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 10, 2020
Voth stranded two other batters who reached base in the fourth, then hit Tyler Flowers with one out in the fifth before Nationals’ skipper Davey Martinez went to the bullpen...
Austin Voth’s Line: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 Ks, 1 HR, 83 P, 49 S, 2/5 GO/FO.
Erlin vs D.C.: Selected off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates in early August, lefty Robbie Erlin made four-inning starts the last four times out in a starting role, putting up a 6.19 ERA and .217/.294/.483 line against in 16 IP in those appearances. Erlin came out of the bullpen for the Braves in his last appearance before tonight, and allowed five hits and two runs in three innings.
Tonight in D.C., the veteran lefty was facing a Nationals’ roster that had put up a combined .309/.358/.530 line vs LHPs on the year, good for 1st/5th/2nd across the line in the majors this season.
Adam Eaton and Trea Turner combined to get the home team on the board in the bottom of the first, with Eaton singling with one down and scoring on an RBI triple by Trea Turner, 1-0, and Turner scored on a double to right by Juan Soto, 2-0, before Soto scored on a triple off Asdrúbal Cabrera’s bat, 3-0.
The 7th time in #Nats history we've hit 2 triples in an inning.
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 10, 2020
(The first time since 2014.)@KPMidAtlantic // #NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/BoLI92S0B1
Michael A. Taylor doubled to left to lead off the Nationals’ half of the second, aggressively took third on a fly to center by Carter Kieboom, and scored on a two-out, two-run blast to right by Adam Eaton, 5-0. Second deck. That was it for Erlin.
Adam Eaton launched this 434-foot, 2-run HR into the upper tank.
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 10, 2020
If it had gone 434.5 feet? We'd have all gotten BOGO chicken sammies.#NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/L4wKwPavoO
Robbie Erlin’s Line: 1.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 35 P, 21 S, 1/1 GO/FO.
Welcome to the majors, Yadiel: Howie Kendrick went on the 10-Day IL on Wednesday, and this afternoon the Nationals called 32-year-old outfielder Yadiel Hernandez up. Hernandez was at the club’s Alternate Training Site in Fredericksburg, VA, working out as part of the 60-Man Player Pool coming off a 2019 campaign in which he led Washington’s system in HRs (33), RBIs (90), SLG (.604), AVG (.323), OPS (1.009), hits (142), extra-base hits (56) and runs scored (87) in 2019.
“He’ll help us as a left-handed hitter off the bench,” Davey Martinez said of his new outfield bat. “So, excited to watch him play a little bit, I know he’s excited, I just talked to him about 10 minutes ago, and his eyes got watery.
“He worked really hard to get here, so I’m super proud that he did, I’m super proud that he’s here.”
BULLPEN ACTION: Huascar Ynoa walked the first three batters he faced after taking over on the mound for Robbie Erlin, putting Trea Turner, Juan Soto (IBB), and Asdrúbal Cabrera on in front of Josh Harrison, who grounded into an inning-ending force, 5-0.
Ynoa came back out with a scoreless fourth to keep it a 5-2 game after the Braves got on the board in the top of the inning.
Wander Suero took over on the mound for the Nationals in the top of the fifth, with a runner on after a hit-by-pitch on Tyler Flowers by Austin Voth, and the first pitch Suero threw to the Braves’ slugger, Ronald Acuña, Jr. went out to right for a two-run homer that made it a one-run game, 5-4.
Your nightly @ronaldacunajr24 home run highlight.#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/lhM5SKfVea
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 10, 2020
Ynoa walked Juan Soto to star the Nationals’ fifth, and gave up a one-out single to right by Josh Harrison that sent Soto (who’d stolen second base) over to third, and a Yan Gomes’ sac fly to center made it 6-4.
A.J. Minter replaced Ynoa with two on and two out in the fifth inning, and struck Carter Kieboom out to end the inning.
Kyle Finnegan got the sixth for the Nationals, and gave up back-to-back singles by Adam Duvall and Dansby Swanson in the first two at bats, but Austin Riley lined one back to the mound for a 1-3 DP, and a grounder back to the pitcher ended a 13-pitch frame.
Minter retired the first two batters in the Nationals’ sixth, but then gave up back-to-back walks to Trea Turner and Juan Soto, before stranding them both.
Will Harris gave up a leadoff single by Nick Markakis, but got a 6-4-3 double play out of Travis d’Arnaud in the next at bat.
Ronald Acuña, Jr. took a two-out walk, and a two-out, two-run home run to the second deck in right by Freddie Freeman tied things up at 6-6 in the seventh. Freeman’s second two-run home run tonight.
Dinger City#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/lPIXQhAYeC
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 11, 2020
Chris Martin retired the Nationals in order in the bottom of the seventh, after the Braves tied things up.
Tanner Rainey struck Adam Duvall out for the first out of the eighth, but Dansby Swanson hit a 98 MPH 2-2 fastball out the other way for an opposite field blast that put the Braves ahead, 7-6.
District of Dansby #ForTheA pic.twitter.com/va8EZoyLz5
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 11, 2020
Sean Doolittle retired Nick Markakis in the top of the ninth, but tweaked something in the oblique/rib area on the third pitch he threw.
Kyle McGowin came on next and gave up a single before he got an inning-ending double play.
Mark Melancon gave up a two-out infield single by Asdrúbal Cabrera, but popped Brock Holt up to end the game.
Final Score: 7-6 Braves.
Nationals now 16-26