Nats battle through two rain delays to beat Braves 6-2 (updated)

Whether it came via a Max Scherzer gem, an offensive explosion, a grind-it-out nailbiter or even a rain-shortened affair, the Nationals knew only one thing when they took the field today: They needed to win this game against the Braves, one way or another.

They got their wish, but it didn't come easily to a team that sure could've used a relaxing day at the park. Instead, a combination of clutch hits, a gutsy performance from a less-than-perfect Scherzer, some outstanding defense, two rain delays and a piecemeal bullpen ultimately sent the Nationals to a 6-2 victory at the end of a long afternoon and evening on South Capitol Street.

It didn't end until seven hours after it was scheduled to begin, but it's still a curly W in the books for the Nats, who can't care about style points right now. They needed to salvage a two-game split of this rain-drenched series with one of the two teams they're chasing in the National League East coming out of the All-Star break, and they did just that.

"There's just so many things where you can go around the clubhouse and point to everybody and say: Yeah, they had a hand in why we won today," Scherzer said. "And those are the best type of wins, when everybody goes out and plays as a team and we win like that."

In the end, a three-run bottom of the first against Atlanta starter Mike Foltynewicz, six gut-it-out innings from Scherzer and three big insurance runs (two provided by Bryce Harper) were enough to get the Nationals back to the .500 mark. They gained a game on the Braves but only a half-game on the Phillies, who split a day-night doubleheader with the Padres.

In the wake of Saturday's deluge, and with the knowledge they're already going to have to play a four games in three days next month when the Braves return to town - the makeup has officially been set for 1:05 p.m. on August 7, creating a day-night doubleheader - the Nationals knew they had to use whatever means necessary to play today's game today. So they waited out a delay of 1 hour, 55 minutes before getting it started, then hoped they could play at a quick enough pace to complete the proceedings before the next round of rain arrived in the early evening.

A slow first inning that saw Scherzer and Foltynewicz throw a combined 49 pitches, though, left slim odds for the full nine to be played without another interruption.

Sure enough, just moments after the Nationals added their tack-on run in the sixth to extend their lead to 4-2, the skies opened again and the grounds crew rolled out the tarp. What remained of a sellout crowd of 39,063 at the beginning of the afternoon thinned out even more as both teams retreated to their respective clubhouses.

"It's part of it when you play outdoors," manager Davey Martinez said. "But the boys hung in there. They were all pretty loose in the clubhouse, honestly, watching Shark Week. It started tonight. So it was good."

It was up to the umpiring crew to make the final call whether to declare a six-inning Nats victory or to resume play and attempt to complete all nine frames. After waiting more than an hour, the announcement came: This game would resume. At 7:34 p.m., the teams returned to the field after a second delay that lasted 1 hour, 38 minutes.

The Nationals didn't let up. Having already scored one insurance run on Harper's two-out single in the sixth before the rain struck, they scored two more after the second delay. Juan Soto and Matt Adams teamed up to produce one run in the seventh, then Harper took reliever Dan Winkler deep to center field in the eighth to extend the lead to four runs.

"Bryce is slowly but surely becoming the Bryce we all know," Martinez said. "He had some great at-bats today. Matt Adams continues to hit. Soto. I say it all the time, I preached it all the time: When we stay in the middle of the field, we're really good, and we put the ball in play."

Victory also required nine outs recorded by four relievers (Matt Grace, Ryan Madson, Sammy Solís and Kelvin Herrera) and one reliever (Brandon Kintzler) burned up after warming in the bottom of the sixth but never entering after the long delay for the Nats to close this one out. Herrera, summoned to record the final two outs of the eighth when the lead was still three runs, came back to pitch the ninth and earn the save in his first multi-inning appearance since September 2016 with the Royals.

"I prepared myself for that," Herrera said via interpreter Octavio Martinez. "He called down in the eighth and told me about it, so I got myself ready and prepared mentally for those two innings."

Many hours earlier, the Nationals jumped out to a 3-0 lead with an impressive bottom of the first against Foltynewicz, getting a single from Adam Eaton, a seven-pitch walk from Harper, a two-run triple from Anthony Rendon and a run-scoring groundout from Soto.

They then attempted to make those three runs hold up the rest of the game, even with Scherzer laboring more than usual. The ace right-hander did not retire the side in any of his six innings, and he gave up runs in the second and fourth, each produced by Atlanta No. 8 batter Dansby Swanson.

Scherzer managed to make enough pitches when he needed to, though, and he made it through his six frames on 107 pitches before handing it over to the bullpen to close out one of the longer - but more satisfying - wins the Nats have had in a while.

"I had a lot of help today," Scherzer said. "And anytime you get that on the mound, it just makes for a great team win, because we played really good baseball today."