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In perhaps the wackiest game of the season, Joc Pederson delivered a play-off single in the 10th to give the Atlanta Braves a 7-6 victory over the Washington Nationals.
The Braves quickly fell behind as the Nationals scored in the opener for the third straight game. Lane Thomas walked to lead the match, then moved up to second on an Alcides Escobar Groundout. A single from the infield from Juan Soto put the runners in the corners with one out. Josh Bell then jumped over an elevated 0-2 slider and led him to the wall in the left center for a brace that scored Thomas to make it 1-0. Soto scored the second point as Yadiel Hernandez took the first for the second out. Huascar Ynoa then pushed Carter Kieboom back to the mound to escape without further damage.
The Braves broke through Erick Fedde in the third as Stephen Vogt logged in for his first homerun in an Atlanta uniform to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Atlanta would tie the game in the fourth. Freddie Freeman passed the wall in the center after a 10 batting, then came in to score on an Austin Riley brace.
Ynoa settled in after his tough first run, removing two sticks each in the third and fourth innings. He walked around a two-out walk for Thomas in the fifth by striking out Alcides Escobar to end the set.
The Braves took the lead in the lower half of the frame as Vogt reconnected for a solo shot to make it 3-2.
Ynoa gave way to a fifth pinch hitter and came out after allowing three hits, two walks and two runs in five innings. He struck out seven and walked two (Lane Thomas, both times) while throwing 89 shots.
AJ Minter took over on the sixth mound and quickly served up a first single to Soto. Soto moved up to second on a passed ball, then to third on a Groundout. With two strikeouts and a runner in third, manager Brian Snitker beat Minter with Carter Kieboom coming in at plate and replaced him with Jesse Chavez. Kieboom jumped on the first pitch he saw and lined it up just past Freeman’s outstretched glove to tie it again at 3-3.
The game wouldn’t be tied for long, as Jorge Soler jumped on a Fedde fastball and pushed it through the middle for a solo homerun to make it 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth.
The seventh inning was a disaster for the Braves, as Luis Garcia greeted Luke Jackson with a double lead on the straight, with the key stroke again very close to being trapped by Freeman. Garcia moved up to third on Andrew Stevenson’s field, then came home to score as Thomas scored a single in the infield to tie again.
Escobar then sank into what appeared to be a double play on a player on the ground until the sack of the second goal, but the ball bounced off Ozzie Albies’ glove for a mistake. Jackson then bounced a ball that allowed the two runners to advance to second and third with just one out. Vogt was injured on the play as he tried to chase Thomas out in third place and was replaced by Travis d’Arnaud.
The Braves intentionally led Soto to charge the bases as Tyler Matzek replaced Jackson. Josh Bell jumped on the first pitch and lined it up with Matzek, who knocked him down and then threw home in time to force Thomas home.
Matzek then asked Hernandez to line up Duvall on the left for the third out, escape with the bases loaded.
The Braves quickly loaded up goals in the home half of the inning on a single from Joc Pederson and back-to-back goals from Dansby Swanson and Travis d’Arnaud. Eddie Rosario hit Matzek and quickly found himself in a 3-2-4 double play. The Nationals then intentionally made Albies walk, and Mason Thompson forced Soler to step down to end the threat.
Richard Rodriguez came on to pitch the eighth for Atlanta and pulled Kieboom and Ruiz off on fly outs, but Garcia scored with a long home run down center to put the Nationals ahead, 5-4.
The swing continued to sway in the half of the field, as Freeman threw another solo home run in the second level of the Chop House to tie the game again.
After Austin Riley came out, Adam Duvall put Atlanta back in the lead with a home run in the reliever box on the left to put the Braves back in front, 6-5.
Will Smith was called in to finish in the ninth and quickly found himself in trouble when Thomas tripled the glove from Pederson, who was one step away from the center field wall. Smith came back and struck Escobar out for the first out and the Braves then intentionally walked Soto to set up a potential double play. Smith got the double ground player he needed as Swanson fielded a Bell ground player down the hole and turned to Albies for the second out. Albies’ relay throw, however, was irrelevant at first. Thomas scored and the game was again tied 6-6. Smith recovered and struck out Riley Adams (the guy who hit him that home run earlier this season) to end the inning.
Atlanta fell in order in the ninth and the game moved on to extra innings. Jacob Webb pulled the team out to give the Braves another chance. Albies started the round second as a designated runner. Wander Suero, who pitched his second inning of work, pushed Soler to open the inning to bring in Freeman who lined up Soto just for the first out. Albies scored and moved up to third in the play. This brought Riley to the plate who fell behind 0-2. Riley started counting all the way again, then bent over to load the bases. Suero then put Duvall out on strikes for the second out.
That would get Pederson to the plate, and Pederson fielded a 0-1 cutter in left field to give the Braves a 7-6 victory.
With the win, Atlanta extends its lead in eastern NL to 3.5 games against the Phillies, who lost a late lead in a loss to the Rockies. The Braves take two of three from the Nationals and will continue their home stay on Friday when they open a three-game series against the Miami Marlins.
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