Braves’ Offensive Firepower Wasted in Frustrating Loss to Nationals
The Braves brought plenty of offensive firepower to their matchup with the Nationals, but it ultimately wasn’t enough. Despite going back-to-back with home runs from Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna early, Atlanta’s efforts were undone by some brutal bad luck, shaky pitching, and timely Nationals hitting that avoided Braves defenders at all the wrong times.
AJ Smith-Shawver had a rough outing, giving up a string of soft hits and seeing defensive alignments work against him. Things really unraveled in the second inning, when Robert Hassell III—making his MLB debut—started a rally that led to a bases-clearing hit from James Wood, thanks in part to another poorly placed defensive setup. Smith-Shawver continued to labor through three more innings, giving up hard contact and a few more runs before finally being pulled mid-batter in the fourth.
Reliever Aaron Bummer didn’t fare much better, allowing a pair of soft-contact RBIs that padded the Nats’ lead. Despite that, the Braves clawed their way back into the game with a lengthy rally in the fourth, tying things up at 5-5 after drawing four walks and getting a clutch bloop from Michael Harris II. But the comeback stalled there.
The bullpen held things down for a few innings, and the Braves got within one run in the seventh thanks to a defensive miscue on Stuart Fairchild’s bunt attempt and an RBI single from Ozuna. Still, the Nationals kept escaping damage.
In the ninth, things got wild. Sean Murphy led off with a hard-hit single, and an error on a Austin Riley grounder kept the Braves alive long enough for Olson to smash a game-tying double. But Riley was easily thrown out at home trying to score, and Ozuna popped out to end the threat. An awkward, confusing umpire explanation of the challenge only added to the chaos.
Raisel Iglesias and Michael Harris II held the Nats in the ninth with two stellar catches to send the game to extras, but that was the last highlight for Atlanta. The Braves went down quietly in the top of the 10th, ending with Eli White grounding into a deflating double play.
Dylan Lee took the mound for the bottom of the 10th, and while he threw a decent pitch, Amed Rosario lined it to the outfield for the game-winning hit.
Despite the promising signs on offense, the Braves’ combination of poor luck, questionable positioning, and inconsistent pitching cost them. They’ll have a chance to bounce back soon—but they’re running out of time to lose games like this if they want to stay in the playoff race.
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