House That Hank Built
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Atlanta Braves End the Curse at Washington

By Alan Carpenter

Aug 12, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Anthony Recker (20) is congratulated by second baseman Jace Peterson (8) after hitting a two run homer against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 12, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Anthony Recker (20) is congratulated by second baseman Jace Peterson (8) after hitting a two run homer against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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The 14 game losing streak vs. the Nationals is over as the Atlanta Braves control the game – mostly – from start to finish Friday night.

All superstitions, prayers, quirks, … everything was employed tonight as the Braves finally saw Washington again for the first time since the season’s second week of play.

These are the scores of the previous 14 games against the Nationals at the Washington Navy Yards… all of them ending with the home club winning:

  • 9-2
  • 8-6
  • 5-4
  • 3-1
  • 2-1
  • 7-0
  • 15-1
  • 5-2
  • 8-2
  • 8-4
  • 6-4
  • 2-1
  • 3-0
  • 6-2

Wednesday, September 10, 2014… the last time the Braves beat the Nats in their home park… and there were actually four more losses behind that lonely 6-2 victory, so it was an 18-for-19 skid that the Braves were working against.

Not Tonight

The streak of futility finally ended with robust hitting, and enough pitching from starter Mike Foltynewicz:

And all of that – early and often – against Nats starter Stephen Strasburg (15-3).

Foltynewicz (6-5) pitched into the sixth inning and got the victory, though he did give up 4 earned runs.  He K’d 3 and walked 2, giving up a homer to Anthony Rendon in the 4th inning.  His ERA was upped to 4.50, but he did do just enough damage control, getting key outs to hold Washington at bay.

However…for just a bit, it seemed that the Nats might once again have the Braves’ number as Rendon’s homer gave them a 3-2 lead.

Their lead didn’t last long.

17. Final. 5. 90. 8

In the very next frame, Freeman’s homer plated 3.  Recker’s  2-run jack added a cherry to the sundae in the 6th, making it 7-3.

Overall:  9 hits, 5 walks for the Braves against a pitcher who seemed to melt in the sweltering weather (94-95 degrees with high humidity) along the Potomac tonight… a climate well-suited to the visiting Bravos.

Bullpen Did Enough

The Braves’ bullpen (Ian Krol, Jose Ramirez, Mauricio Cabrera, and Jim Johnson) combined for 3.1 innings, giving up 4 hits and 1 run… but again, it was enough as the offense provided a cushion to work with so that the pitchers didn’t have to sweat the situation … well, any more than they were already sweating given the conditions.

Atlanta continues to put together decent results in this second half of play.  They are now at 44-72, and played a spoiler tonight.

Next: The Roster Ink Never Dries

Tomorrow night it’s a 7:05 ET start with Robert Whalen against top pitching prospect Reynaldo Lopez.

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