By Zachary McMahon –
The Washington Nationals hosted the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park in Washington DC on Friday evening in the second game of the four-game series. The Braves won the first game 5-2 on Thursday.
The Nats were now on a four game losing streak which included being swept by the
New York Mets, and also losing six out of the last seven games. Meanwhile, the Braves had
won four out of the last six games.
The pitching matchup was Chris Sale and Jake Irvin for the Braves and Nats respectively. Sale had been undefeated in his last eight starts, boasting a 7-0 record, as his last start was a no-decision in the 11-9 loss to the Athletics last Saturday.
In Irvin’s last start, he got his first win
in over a month in the 5-2 win against the Cleveland Guardians where he went six innings, allowed five hits, two earned runs, one walk, and six strikeouts. Jarred Kelenic was out of the lineup for the second straight game with a wrist injury, so J.P.
Martinez started out in right field for the Braves.
Sale retired the first nine batters until leadoff hitter C.J Abrams hit a double in the fourth. Trying to pick off Nick Senzel, who would be the recipient of Sale’s only walk of the game, catcher Sean Murphy overthrew him, which caused Abrams to come home on the error for the first run of the game.
Illdemaro Vargas extended the lead with an RBI single that scored Senzel home in the fourth. Irvin faced multiple threats from the Braves offense, as the bases were loaded in the third, as Martinez hit a double, and then Irvin walked both Michael Harris II and Austin Riley, but with already two outs in the inning via a pop out by Orlando Arcia and a ground out to Irvin by Murphy, Marcell Ozuna grounded out with a fielder’s choice when Riley was out at second.
He prevented Arcia from scoring after leading off the fifth with a double, and in the sixth, Riley singled and then moved to third on a double by Ozuna, which would be followed by three straight outs in which the runners could not advance.
After the sixth, Irvin would leave, allowing four hits, two walks, and four strikeouts as he would be replaced by Derek Law, who struck out the final two batters he faced in the inning in Murphy and Martinez.
Hunter Harvey pitched the eighth inning, and he retired the first two batters he faced in Harris II and Riley, but Ozuna would hit his second double of the game, and Matt Olson brought him home on a RBI single to break the shutout.
Kyle Finnegan pitched the ninth inning, and would register his 17th save of the season on 19 opportunities, after striking out two batter as the Nats held on 2-1. Lane Thomas tripled in the sixth inning, but would not advance after two groundouts and a lineout by Vargas.
Sale pitched seven innings, allowing five hits, two runs, and a walk, while striking out 10 batters, as he would get his first loss since April 13 against division rival Miami Marlins.
The teams will be playing the third game of the series on Saturday afternoon at 4:05 p.m. as Charlie Morton will be going up against Mackenzie Gore.
Sports Insider Daily 