WASHINGTON (AP) — Pinch-hitter Amed Rosario singled home the winning run in the 10th inning and the Washington Nationals topped the Atlanta Braves 8-7 on Thursday night for their fifth straight victory.
Atlanta tied it at 7 in the ninth on Matt Olson’s one-out RBI double off closer Kyle Finnegan. Austin Riley tried to score the go-ahead run from first but was thrown out at the plate on the play.
Marcell Ozuna popped out to end the inning.
Automatic runner Robert Hassell III, making his major league debut, advanced from second to third on Alex Call’s sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the 10th. Rosario then singled to left field against Dylan Lee (1-2).
The Braves dropped to 24-25 after losing both games in the rain-shortened series.
Olson and Ozuna hit back-to-back solo homers off Trevor Williams in the first to give Atlanta the lead. Olson has homered in four of his last five games.
Playing with his parents in the stands for the first time in his major league career, Keibert Ruiz had an RBI double in the bottom half off Braves starter AJ Smith-Shawver, who was tagged for seven runs in three innings.
Hassell singled in the second on the first pitch he saw in the majors. He stole second and scored on a single by CJ Abrams to tie it. James Woods followed with a three-run double to give the Nationals a 5-2 advantage.
Hassell finished 2 for 5 and scored twice.
Ruiz had an RBI single in a two-run fourth that gave Washington a 7-5 lead and chased Smith-Shawver.
Ozuna’s RBI single in the seventh off reliever Jose A. Ferrer got the Braves within a run. Olson and Ozuna each finished with three hits and two RBIs.
Key moment
With runners at the corners in the top of the 10th, Jackson Rutledge (1-1) got Evan White to ground into an inning-ending double play that kept the score tied.
Key stat
Smith-Shawver allowed one earned run over 19 2/3 innings in his previous three starts.
Up next
Braves LHP Chris Sale (2-3, 3.62 ERA) starts Friday at home against San Diego.
Nationals LHP MacKenzie Gore (2-4, 3.67 ERA) faces Giants RHP Landen Roupp (2-3, 4.11) on Friday.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
