Atlanta needed one inning to turn a close game into a comfortable one. The Braves scored four runs in the sixth, and that was enough to beat Washington 6-2 at Truist Park.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 1 |
| ATL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | X | 6 | 12 | 0 |
Michael Harris drove in three runs, going 2-for-4 with a home run. His blast highlighted a Braves lineup that also got two hits apiece from Matt Olson, Mauricio Dubon and Ozzie Albies. Olson added a home run of his own and scored twice, while James Jarvis went 3-for-3 with two RBIs out of the lineup.
Atlanta had already led 1-0 on Olson's homer in the first and 2-0 after Jarvis singled home Dubon in the second, but the sixth inning settled matters. Harris homered to right for 421 feet, scoring Olson and Albies to make it 5-1, and Jarvis added another RBI single moments later, plating Dubon to push the score to 6-1.
Foster Griffin took the loss for Washington, allowing 6 runs on 9 hits over 5.1 innings with 3 strikeouts. C. J. Abrams answered Olson's early homer with one of his own in the fourth, and Andres Chaparro added a solo shot in the ninth, but the Nationals could not string together the offense needed to threaten a comeback.
Bryce Elder worked six innings for Atlanta, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits with 3 strikeouts to pick up the win, improving to 7-6 on the season with a 3.84 ERA. The bullpen covered the final three innings, allowing 1 run. Elieser Hernandez earned the save. Atlanta, winners of three straight, improved to 65-45 and sit atop their division. Washington fell to 55-56, losing its third straight game.