Elijah Dukes delivers 3-run double in 14th; Nats win 7-4
Elijah Dukes' three-run double in the 14th proved to be the difference in the Nationals 7-4 win. The victory gives Washington their 12th win, in 18 games, against the Braves this season and their fourth extra innings win.
Anderson Hernandez walked, off Jeff Bennett, to lead-off the inning, his fourth free pass of the afternoon. Willie Harris followed with an infield single and both runners moved up a base on Ryan Zimmerman's ground out to short.
Braves manager Bobby Cox intentionally walked Lastings Milledge to load the bases. Bennett fell behind Dukes 3-1 and threw a fastball right down the middle that he ripped inside the bad at third. The ball went all the way to the wall, scoring all three runners.
Joel Hanrahan, the eighth Nationals pitcher, got the first two outs before issuing a walk and giving up a double to Yunel Escobar. Jeff Francoeur grounded out to short to end the game and record his eighth save of the season. Steven Shell, who tossed two scoreless innings, earned the win, his second of the year.
Collin Balester scattered 11 hits in six innings, but the one that hit that changed the game should've been caught. It wasn't and the Braves, instead of the game being tied 1-1, had a two run lead.
With runners on first and second, Chipper Jones hit a fly ball to left-center. Milledge cruised over and called off Harris, but Milledge lost the ball in the sun and it fell in for a two-run double and the Braves led 3-1.
Trailing 1-0, Atlanta got an RBI single from Gregor Blanco in the home half of the second. After Balester struck out Martin Prado, Jones lifted a fly ball that Milledge had a bead on. He tried to shield the sun with his glove, be he turned away at the last second and the ball dropped in allowing two runs to score.
Jo-Jo Reyes, who had been roughed up in his two previous starts against Washington, allowed a solo home run to Milledge, in the second, for the only run in his six innings of work. Reyes gave up four hits, walked three and struck out one.
The Braves added to their lead in the sixth when Blanco singled, stole second and scored on Prado's single to right. Dukes throw to the plate was off target and Aaron Boone cut it off and tagged Prado out to end the inning.
Rookie shortstop Alberto Gonzalez led off the seventh with his first career home run to cut the Braves lead to 4-2. Gonzalez stepped to the plate in the eight with runners on first and second and two outs.
Blaine Boyer's pitch was out of the strike zone, but Gonzalez went with it and drove it to right. The ball landed on the foul line and Milledge and Luke Montz scored to tie the game 4-4.
Milledge got the inning started with an infield single and he ended up on second when shortstop Yunel Escobar's throw went into the Braves dugout. After two quick outs, Montz drew a walk and both scored on Gonzalez's double.
Postgame Notes
Gonzalez, who fell a triple shy of the cycle, is now batting .429 since joining the Nationals.
Ryan Zimmerman went 0-7, snapping his 12-game hitting streak.
Anderson Hernandez went 0-3 but walked four times.
Willie Harris finished the 4-game series 2-19.
Final Linescore
Nationals 7-10-0
Braves 4-16-1
WP-Shell (2-1)
LP-Bennett (2-6)
SV-Hanrahan (8)
HR-Milledge (14), Gonzalez (1)
Pete McElroy's Live Gameblog
Nationals scoring, 8th inning
Alberto Gonzalez's two-run double, his third hit of the day, tied the game in the eighth. Gonzalez went to right with the outside pitch and it landed on the chalk, scoring Lastings Milledge, who reach on an infield single and advanced to second on Yunel Escobar's throwing error, and Luke Montz, who drew a two-out walk.
Gonzalez ended up on third when the throw went to the plate. Pinch-hitter Cristian Guzman hit a slow grounder to short, but was out on a close play to end the inning.
Nationals scoring, 7th inning
Alberto Gonzalez hit his first career home run to bring the Nationals to within two runs of the Braves, 4-2.
Gonzalez, who is 2-2 with a walk, led off with a solo blast off of Julian Tavares. Tavares grooved a 1-1 fastball and the young shortstop sent it over the wall in left.
Balester's average outing
Balester matched his season high for his allowed with 11. He needed 99 pitches to get thru six innings, but he did a decent job of only allowing four runs. If Lastings Milledge doesn't lose a fly ball in the sun, this game takes a different tone.
6 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K. 99 pitches, 64 strikes
Braves scoring, 6th inning
Collin Balester allowed the Braves to tack on an insurance run in his last inning of work. Martin Prado singled home Gregor Blanco to make it a 4-1 game. Blanco singled and stole second before scoring on Prado's second hit of the game.
Nationals missed chance
The Nationals had a chance to get to Jo-Jo Reyes in the fifth, but Willie Harris popped out to second to end the threat.
Washington loaded the bases on a hit and two walks before Reyes got a pitch in on Harris' fists, causing him to pop out to second.
Balester thru 3 innings
Balester is struggling to find his comfort zone early on at Turner Field. The Braves already have seven hits, but they've stranded four runners. Thanks to a seven pitch third, Balester's pitch count isn't that high. A lost fly ball in the sun cost Balester two runs in the second.
3 IP, 7 H, 3 R, BB, 2 K. 47 pitches, 33 strikes
Braves scoring, 2nd inning
Collin Balester is leaving pitches up in the zone and the Braves are making him pay. Atlanta already has six hits and they have a 3-1 lead.
Gregor Blanco drove in Brandon Jones, who led off the inning with a single and moved to third on Jo-Jo Reyes' base hit. Balester looked like he'd get out of the inning allowing only one run, but Lastins Milledge lost Chipper Jones fly ball in the sun and it fell in for a two-run double.
Nationals scoring, 2nd inning
Lastings Milledge hit a frozen rope that just cleared the wall in left for his 14th home run of the year. It's the sixth solo home run in this series.
Starting Line-ups
Nationals
2B Anderson Hernandez
LF Willie Harris
3B Ryan Zimmerman
CF Lastings Milledge
RF Elijah Dukes
1B Aaron Boone
C Luke Montz
SS Alberto Gonzalez
P Collin Balester
Braves
CF Gregor Blanco
1B Martin Prado
3B Chipper Jones
2B Kelly Johnson
SS Yunel Escobar
RF Jeff Francoeur
LF Brandon Jones
C Corky Miller
P Jo-Jo Reyes
Game Preview
Nationals (55-88) at Atlanta (62-81)
Last night, the Nationals' scored three runs in the 10th to defeat the Braves 8-5 and end their two-game losing streak. Ryan Langerhans' lead-off, solo homer, turned out to be the game winner.
Leading 5-3 entering the ninth, Joel Hanrahan, gave up a two-run double, with the bases loaded, to send the game to extra innings and prevent Tim Redding from earning his career-high 11th win.
Elijah Dukes hit two home runs and drove in three and Ryan Zimmerman extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a third-inning homer.
Washington gives the rock to Collin Balester to even the weekend series, while Atlanta turns to Jo-Jo Reyes.
Pitching Match-Up
RHP Collin Balester (3-6, 4.75) had his last start pushed back to this afternoon due to a mild left glut strain. The Nationals' coaching staff feels he is healthy enough to start the series finale against the Braves.
Balester faced Atlanta on August 31st at Nationals Park and went seven innings, giving up four runs on six hits and three walks but didn't factor in Washington's 8-4 win.
Omar Infante's RBI single in the first gave the Braves a 1-0 lead. With a 2-1 advantage, Balester gave up a three-run homer to Yunel Escobar in the fourth.
After the home run, Balester retired eight in a row and 12 of the next 14 batters. The Nationals' scored five runs in the eighth for the four-run victory. The seven innings was the longest outing of his career.
This marks the sixth road start of the season for the rookie. Balester is 1-3 with a 5.06 ERA but he's winless in his last four games.
RHP Jo-Jo Reyes (3-10, 5.48), who faced the Nationals' on August 30th, is winless in his last 10 starts. In six of those games, Reyes has allowed at least four runs and the Braves have lost all all six games.
On August 30th, Reyes managed to pitch himself out of trouble in the first and third innings, but couldn't in the fourth and fifth, when he allowed four runs on four hits and a walk.
Anderson Hernandez's two-run single in the fourth cut the Braves lead to 4-2. In the fifth, Reyes gave up back-to-back singles before being replaced by Buddy Carlyle.
Carlyle gave up an RBI double to Ronnie Belliard, a bases-clearing double to Jesus Flores and a run-scoring single to Hernandez. Two of the five runs were charged to Reyes.
Reyes, who is making his third start of the season against Washington, is hoping for better success than the previous two. He's allowed 10 runs on 15 hits and six walks in just 6 ½ innings.
At Turner Field this season, Reyes is 2-5 with a 7.14 ERA in nine starts.
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