Harper, Rendon lead Nats to series win in Atlanta (updated)

ATLANTA - They took two of four from the Cubs in a stretch that required a doubleheader and a special trip back to D.C. for a makeup game. They took three of three from the Phillies in a series that required a doubleheader when blowtorches couldn't dry out a soaked infield for the opener.

And now the Nationals have taken two of three from the Braves to cap off a wild week of rain, late nights, long games, extra travel and the dodging of a hurricane.

All of this, of course, came too late and won't be enough to prevent the inevitable, only delay it. But if the Nats' goal was to win September series against contenders, they did accomplish that over the last 10 days.

"We've got a great lineup," Bryce Harper said. "If you go out there and roll the guys out there we have, you have a chance to win every single night. ... Not shocked when we go 4-2 on this road trip."

Today's 6-4 victory over the Braves was the final piece of this crazy week's puzzle, a game that saw Harper and Anthony Rendon stake the Nationals to an early five-run lead, Tanner Roark pitch well for 5 1/3 innings and then the bullpen hang on late for a tight win.

Charlie Culberson did turn a three-run lead into a one-run nail-biter when he hammered Greg Holland's 2-0 fastball down the pipe to left-center in the bottom of the eighth. But Holland escaped the inning without suffering any more damage, and after Juan Soto provided an insurance run with a two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth, Sean Doolittle finished it off for his 24th save.

At 76-74, the Nationals now head to Miami for a quick, two-game series to wrap up the road trip. They still trail the Braves by 7 1/2 games with 12 to play, official elimination now possible as soon as Thursday.

"I feel like we should've been doing this all year," Rendon said. "So that's maybe what we could take from it. We've had a lot of injuries, and like you guys said, a lot of ups and downs. But we're going to just keep on truckin' til the end, until they tell us to go home."

As they did Saturday against Julio Teheran, the Nationals jumped on Sean Newcomb early to take a lead in the top of the first, this time thanks to a big blast by Harper. The slugger drove a 2-1 fastball from the lefty deep to center field, and Ender Inciarte could only watch as it cleared the fence with plenty of room to spare.

It was Harper's 34th homer of the season and raised his RBI count to 97 (two shy of his career high). Throw in his 96 runs and league-leading 118 walks, and a season that looked to many like a disaster only two months ago is on the verge of wrapping up with a decidedly impressive final stat line.

"I think it's a bummer we're not winning ballgames; that was the biggest thing on my mind," Harper said. "I'm not really worried about my numbers or anything like that, because I am who I am. That sounds bad, but I am. Any given night, I'm able to go out there and do some things for this team that are special, and I was able to do that again today."

"He's been awesome," manager Davey Martinez said. "His demeanor, the way he's been in the clubhouse with the young players, he's been really, really good. I appreciate him a lot."

Rendon has been his usual consistent self all season, but his numbers are no less impressive by his standards. After walking and scoring a run in the first, he followed Harper's walk in the third by driving a first-pitch fastball from Newcomb down the right field line and over the fence.

It was Rendon's 20th homer, marking the third straight season he's reached that number, the fourth time in the last five). He raised his RBI total to 75; five more and he'll top 80 for the third straight season (and also fourth in the last five).

"He's just really good," Martinez said. "He understands the game, and he understands himself as a hitter. He has a gameplan every time he goes up there. He hits the ball where it's pitched. Stays on the ball. Hits it up the middle. Can pull the ball. He does all kinds of good things."

Staked to the 5-0 lead those teammates provided, Roark went after Atlanta's hitters and put together his best start in a couple of weeks. Through 3 2/3 innings, the right-hander had surrendered two singles, a walk and nothing else. He was cruising along.

Even when Roark did succumb and let the Braves get on the board, it was hard to fault him. His 3-2 fastball to Tyler Flowers in the bottom of the fourth was up and in, not in the strike zone. Flowers, though, somehow managed to turn on the pitch and send it flying into the left field bullpen for a surprise two-run homer.

Roark got into one more jam, allowing back-to-back hits with one out in the sixth, at which point Martinez decided to turn to his bullpen. And that move paid off impressively when Tim Collins struck out Inciarte and Wander Suero struck out Lucas Duda to escape the inning with the Nationals' 5-2 lead intact.

"Getting through the sixth inning has been tough this year," Martinez said. "When Collins is available and Suero's available, that's a great combination. They both came in and did their job, and that was the key moment of the game."