After disastrous ninth, Nats find a way to win in 12th (updated)

They already played this game Thursday night. Seriously, tonight's contest on South Capitol Street felt like a perfect carbon copy of the one that preceded it, the Nationals jumping out to an early five-run lead, their starter fading in the middle innings, their bullpen asked to hang on for dear life the rest of the way.

It didn't work out in the series opener against the Braves. It did work this time. But only after a ghastly blown save in the top of the ninth forced a game-winning rally in the bottom of the 12th.

Michael A. Taylor's bloop two-out RBI single to right scored Adam Eaton from third to complete a wild 8-7 victory and bail out Daniel Hudson, who blew a three-run lead with two outs in the top of the ninth to make the final rally necessary.

"We won the game," an exhausted manager Davey Martinez said in his postgame Zoom session with reporters. "I wish we would've won it in nine innings. But the boys battled back. They battled, they battled. I saw some good things. I saw some not-so-good things."

The not-so-good things occurred in the top of the ninth and then in the bottom of each subsequent inning until the 12th. But after a disastrous and demoralizing ninth, the Nationals regrouped and gave themselves a chance to win after all. Kyle Finnegan stranded the Braves' automatic runner on third in the top of the 10th and then stranded the bases loaded in the top of the 11th. But his teammates couldn't execute small ball in their half of the 10th or the 11th, popping up two bunts and taking six at-bats with the automatic runner on second and failing to advance him even 90 feet.

"They've got to understand what's going on," Martinez said. "In those situations, all you've got to do is get the ball on the ground in front of the pitcher. We've worked on that. They understand it. Just put the ball down in front of the pitcher. The pitcher's going to pick up the ball and throw the ball to first base 99 percent of the time."

So the game proceeded to the uncharted territory that is the 12th inning, at which point Martinez was down to three remaining relievers: untested rookies James Bourque and Ben Braymer, and top setup man Tanner Rainey. With Rainey evidently unavailable after pitching three of the last four days, Martinez gave the ball to Bourque and hoped for the best.

Bourque flirted with disaster, walking two batters to load the bases with one out. But he survived, getting Nick Markakis to ground into a double play, leaving Atlanta with a staggering 23 runners left on base in the game and giving the Nationals one more chance to win it thanks to the work of two rookie relievers in a high-pressure spot.

"It's kind of a refreshing mindset at that point, honestly," Finnegan said. "Because it's: Don't let them score. Do whatever you can to keep the guy from touching home plate."

By the time they reached the bottom of the 12th, the Nationals had the heart of their order coming up to bat. And Trea Turner did his job, sending a fly ball to deep right to advance Eaton (the automatic runner) to third. After Juan Soto was intentionally walked, the Nats nearly squandered the golden opportunity, watching Josh Harrison strike out and then Taylor fall behind 0-2 to lefty Grant Dayton.

But Taylor, who had one of those popped-up bunts two innings earlier, finally executed and blooped the 0-2 pitch into shallow right field, scoring Eaton and finally allowing the Nationals to celebrate some 4 hours, 48 minutes after the game started.

"Definitely relief," Taylor said when asked what he was feeling in that moment. "On the pitch, I was just trying to see it deep, and when I looked up and saw that it was going to get over (the infield), just a sigh of relief that marathon was over."

The ending to this one was different, but the start was eerily familiar.

Just like they did Thursday, the Nats opened up a 5-0 lead early. Just like they did Thursday, they struggled to sustain offensive momentum (though this time they did add two extra runs via late homers by Eric Thames and Yan Gomes). And then just like they did Thursday, they saw their bullpen give it all back, this time in excruciating fashion.

Handed a 7-4 lead in the ninth, Hudson appeared to have everything under control when he retired Adam Duvall and Markakis to open the frame. All he needed was one more out. He couldn't record it before the Braves had tied the game.

Ozzie Albies doubled to right. Ender Inciarte, who replaced the injured Ronald Acuña Jr. earlier, drew a key walk to bring Freeman to plate representing the tying run. Ever so careful with the slugger, Hudson walked Freeman to load the bases for Marcell Ozuna. And then things really turned ugly.

Ozuna lined a single to left, in front of the no-doubles-playing Taylor, to bring home two runs. Travis d'Arnaud then hit the game-tying single to right as a roar emanated from the Braves dugout and general manager's suite.

Hudson did manage to get out of it without surrendering the go-ahead run, but the very bad word he yelled out very loudly as he walked off the mound said it all.

"Right now, he's falling behind. He's throwing too many balls, honestly, right down the middle of the plate," Martinez said of Hudson, who has four blown saves in 13 attempts and a 7.02 ERA. "He's not getting the ball elevated up like he was before. But I trust Huddy. He's going to close our games."

So much of this game felt like the previous one, especially early on. The Nats scored three times in the bottom of the first, getting a two-run double from Soto (and astute third-base coaching from Chip Hale, who noticed Markakis' throw going to second base instead of the cutoff man and immediately waved Turner home as the trailing runner. Thames followed with a single to right, bringing Soto home to complete that quick rally off Josh Tomlin.

And they kept it up in the third. Turner and Soto opened the inning with a double and a single, and each promptly stole a base with ease off Tomlin, who appeared to not even realize either was a threat. Gomes' two-out RBI single to center completed that rally, and for the second night in a row the Nationals led 5-0.

And like Austin Voth on Thursday, Erick Fedde posted three zeros to open his evening, though he did have to labor to do it. And like Voth, Fedde got into trouble in the fourth, putting runners in scoring position for the fearsome top of the Atlanta lineup and ultimately surrendering two runs (via Freeman and Ozuna two-out RBI singles).

The rally came at a cost to the Braves, though, when Acuña had to be helped off the field after fouling a ball off his left ankle. Unable to put weight on the foot, the star outfielder immediately went for X-rays, which mercifully showed no fractures. After the game, manager Brian Snitker said Acuña could possibly play Saturday.

His pitch count a whopping 93 after the fourth, Fedde might've been deemed done for the night. But Martinez decided to entrust the fifth to his starter. And though it took some effort, Fedde did get through that inning unscathed, departing having allowed only the two runs while throwing 108 pitches, the third-highest total of his career.

Thames' solo homer off reliever Tyler Matzek - his first off a lefty this season - extended the Nationals' lead to 6-2 after five and provided some more cushion for the bullpen.

Now that group just had to do what it could not do Thursday night: keep the Atlanta lineup in check and close out a win.

As has too often been the case this season, that proved to be an exceptionally difficult challenge.

But as has not been the case often enough this season, the Nationals ultimately were up to the challenge.

"A win is a win is a win," Martinez said. "When you battle like we did tonight, it was good to come out on top. I'm proud of the boys. They didn't quit."