Game Recap: Atlanta Braves v. Washington Nationals (April 11, 2018)

Wednesday afternoon’s contest finished off the first series against the Nationals.  But after being shackled offensively for 2 games, how would this one go?

The Atlanta Braves entered the last game of the series against the Washington Nationals with hopes of not getting swept for the first time this year. The game got off to a booming start with Ozzie Albies hitting his 4th HR of the year.

Brandon McCarthy pitched very well coming off a draining performance at Colorado. He went five strong innings only allowing one run on four hits. However, on the final out of the 5th inning, McCarthy injured himself covering 1st base. I think his wife explains how it happened the best…

Amazingly he’s not going to miss a beat.

The Braves would score once more in the 4th on Kurt Suzuki’s first HR of the year.

After McCarthy’s exit in the fifth, the Braves bullpen cruised through the game up until the ninth. With a combination of being non-tendered by the Braves and then getting pegged on the hip earlier in the game; Matt Adams took all his frustration out in the ninth with a long shot to center to tie the game 2-2.

Free Baseball

The Braves had runners on second and third with two outs in the 10th, but the rally fell short when Inciarte was thrown out trying to steal home. The Braves challenged the call on the field, but New York didn’t have enough evidence to overturn the call.

[ Ed. note:  Frankly, from this still photo, I don’t even know how umpire Whiston missed this call… but not only that, the instant replay team chose not to believe what they saw.  *sigh* ]

In the Eleventh inning the Braves took the lead on Suzuki’s second solo HR of the game. That blast was followed by back-to-back doubles from Burjous and Swanson. Unfortunately, they were left stranded at second and third after three straight strikeouts ended the threat.

The Nationals responded with a two out Howie Kendrick double scoring Bryce Harper after he reached on a single. This pushed the game into the 12th inning with the Nationals and Braves tied 3-3.

In the 12th, Bourjos came to the plate with the bases loaded a served a two run single into right field.

The Braves were able to hold on to this lead with the Nationals going down in order to Shane Carle. Brian Snitker was asked about Carle after the game and had this to say: “[Carle] gave up a two-run single, came back and had probably the best inning he had of the two. He was sharp.”

Not only did Peter Burjous have the game winning hit in the 12th, but he also had this run saving defensive gem in the 7th.

What’s Next

Atlanta will have an off day on Thursday before starting the final series of the road trip against the Cubs on Friday. Here are the game times and projected starters:

• Friday, April 13, 2:20 PM ET- Sanchez (0-0, 2.25 ERA) v. Darvish (0-0, 5.23 ERA)
• Saturday, April 14, 2:20 PM ET – Newcomb (1-1, 4.35 ERA) v. Quintana (1-1, 4.50 ERA)
• Sunday, April 15, 2:20 PM ET- Teheran (0-1, 7.07 ERA) v. Chatwood (0-2, 4.91 ERA)

Next: What's Your Mood?

Now mind you:  this is all tentative, as forecasts suggest that all of these games could be threatened with weather issues.  So far, the Friday game is looking the best, but there’s a solid chance of at least one of these Wrigley games getting banged.