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Atlanta Braves, R.A. Dickey, take care of business on Thursday against the Washington Nationals, win 3-2

By Jeff Schafer

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 21: Pitcher R.A. Dickey
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 21: Pitcher R.A. Dickey /
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Braves beat Nats and how good does it feel

The Atlanta Braves defeated the Washington Nationals on Thursday night as they win 3-2.  The Braves improve to 68-83 in 2017, while the Nats are now 92-60.  The Nats still have an opportunity to win the NL home field advantage, but it’s not looking too good for them…and to help with that is awesome!9 and 10

Atlanta finished last season with a record of 68-94 so an improvement already over the previous season.  The Braves still have 11 more games in 2017.  I’m still going to hold onto my prediction until it’s not possible…my prediction was that the Braves would win 75 games.

We play the Phillies for three games, the Mets in a four-game series and the Marlins in a four-game series to end the season on October 1st.

How about that beat down

Thursday, we saw an exceptional game from R.A. Dickey.  He went eight very strong innings, giving up four hits, two runs, no walks and had four strikeouts.  The knuckleball was moving tonight and the Nationals hitters just couldn’t get a good eye on the ball.

Ryan Zimmerman hit a solo homer off Dickey in the top of the 2nd inning for the Nats first run.  Dickey then gave up a leadoff double — was ruled a double, but it should have been a single.  Lane Adams slipped on the dirt when he grounded the ball — to Anthony Rendon.  Matt Wieters later drove in Rendon with a single.  Other than that, Dickey was spotless.

“I had a couple rough ones in a row, but with a season like this you’re always playing for something,” Dickey said after the game.  “I wanted to give the fans something to cheer about.”

The Braves started off the game in the bottom of the 1st inning with Ender Inciarte leadoff triple.  Ozzie Albies than singled Inciarte in.

In the 4th inning, Albies showed up big again.  He led off the inning with a single.  As he was stealing second base, Wieters threw the ball in the outfield and Ozzie went to third.  With Freddie Freeman up, it’s a guaranteed run, right?  Yup, Freddie hit a sac fly to left field.

After Freddie’s sac fly, Nick Markakis smashed a double to right field…great hustle by the 33-year-old on the play.  Later Johan Camargo drilled a pitch right back where it came from — up the middle — and scored Markakis.

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The Nationals started Tanner Roark on the mound.  He went seven innings, gave up six hits, three runs and had seven strikeouts.

Arodys Vizcaino came into the game in the 9th for the Braves.  After last nights three straight walk outing, it was a nail-biting moment.  But Vizzy shut us all up as he struck the side out.  Three up and three down!  He picked up his 12th save of the year.

Tonight was Dickey’s final start at SunTrust Park in 2017.  Will the Braves bring him back for 2018?  We have a team option, but it’s still not known if we’ll use it.  Dickey picked up his 10th win of the season.

“With that pitch, he can neutralize the best hitting team in the National League,” Snitker said after the game.  “He was really good.  He pitched his rear off.  Young guys should watch how he plays the game.”

One stat with both teams pitching staff…no walks.  ZERO.  You don’t see that very often.

In 2017, the Braves won nine of 19 games against the first place Nationals.  Really not bad against a very stacked ball team.

Next: Former Braves farm hand wins MiLB Gold Glove Award

One thing we won’t go into on this was the bottom of the 8th inning lineup miscue that the Nats went through.  One, because I have no idea what happened and two, because it was the weirdest delay I’ve ever seen.

I will say, the Braves are savage that they turned the lights off and do the Chop while they were trying to figure out the lineups.

That was the scene around 9:30pm ET on Thursday.  Savage, Braves, savage!

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