Nats blow late lead, but Robinson delivers hit to secure 7-6 win

ATLANTA - They made it much more complicated than it needed to be, blowing a five-run lead with poor relief pitching and poor defense, but the Nationals managed to overcome their gaffes and still squeak out a 7-6 victory over the Braves tonight at Turner Field.

Clint Robinson delivered a two-out RBI single through the left side of the infield in the top of the ninth, giving the Nationals the lead for good after they had blown it over the previous three innings. The lefty slugger, who likely is about to lose significant playing time with starting first baseman Ryan Zimmerman set to return from the disabled list, took Braves reliever Jim Johnson the other way for his second hit of the night and his fourth time reaching base.

Mark Melancon earned his fifth save in as many opportunities with the Nationals after pitching a scoreless bottom of the ninth. Rookie Koda Glover, who gave up the game-tying hit in the eighth, wound up credited with his first career win in the process.

It didn't look like any late drama would be necessary. The Nationals held a 5-0 lead in the sixth, having manufactured their offense and received what was shaping up to be another dominant start by Tanner Roark. But Roark faded as the evening progressed and served up a pair of homers, to Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis, that trimmed the lead and left the game in the hands of the Nats bullpen.

With typical setup man Shawn Kelley unavailable after pitching three of the last four days, manager Dusty Baker turned to Matt Belisle to begin the eighth with the Nationals up three runs. The veteran right-hander lasted only three batters, though Danny Espinosa's error on a bouncer up the middle didn't help his case.

Glover, owner of three career big league appearances, then was asked to try to pitch out of a tight jam. The rookie flamethrower got the groundball he needed from pinch-hitter Jeff Francoeur, but Anthony Rendon threw wildly to second base, bringing Freddie Freeman to the plate representing the go-ahead run. The fearsome first baseman pounced on Glover's first-pitch fastball, driving it to deep left-center for a two-run double that tied the game.

The late defensive gaffes spoiled what had been a fantastic night in the field by the Nationals, highlighted by Ben Revere's latest acrobatic catch.

Revere helped secure one of Roark's recent wins with a brilliant play, and he may have topped himself tonight. The diminutive center fielder perfectly timed a leap to rob Freeman of what likely would have been a fourth-inning homer, then crashed into the wall and fell to the ground while holding onto the ball.

Roark raised his arms in triumph and dropped his jaw in near-disbelief by the play, which even earned a hearty ovation from the Turner Field crowd.

The Nationals bunched together hits to manufacture their offense, scoring five runs despite a rare lack of production from Jayson Werth. With an 0-for-5, three-strikeout night, Werth's streak of consecutive games reaching base safely ended at 46, forever tied with Rusty Staub for the Expos/Nationals franchise record.

Others picked up the slack for Werth, though. Trea Turner had three hits and scored twice. Revere had two hits and drove in a run. Bryce Harper had a hit and two RBIs. And Robinson delivered the biggest hit of them all, securing this wild victory.