Strasburg maintains after slow start, rolls to eighth win 4-3

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg managed to hang in there despite a slow start Friday night, accruing six innings and watching as his Nationals came back from a 3-0 deficit to edge the Braves, 4-3.

Strasburg lasted six innings, allowing three runs in the first three innings, but then shut out the Braves for three frames to improve to 8-4.

Austin Riley's two-run homer in the second and an RBI double from Freddie Freeman lifted the Braves to a 3-0 lead in the third.

"You're going to give them up," Strasburg said of the Riley blast. "I think, mechanically, it was not really a good spot, but I think one of the things they always talk about, especially when you're around the game a long time, is 'How good is your bad game?' Really just trying to keep it close, and they came through and got me off the hook."

The Nats scored three runs in the fourth, highlighted by an RBI triple from Victor Robles and a solo homer by Yan Gomes that went seven or eight rows over the visitors bullpen in the left field stands. Anthony Rendon had the go-ahead RBI single in the fifth.

Strasburg got through the top of the fifth after walking two. With one out, Dansby Swanson grounded a Strasburg curveball to Rendon, who started a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning. The right-hander was charged up coming off the mound, pumping his fist.

"Walks are unfortunate, for sure, but you have to bounce back," Strasburg said. "It's something that you're one pitch away and you have to be in the moment."

He threw 101 pitches, 62 for strikes. He had five strikeouts and three walks, allowing only five hits.

After finishing six innings, where did Strasburg watch the Robles game-ending catch?

"I was just in the training room, watching it with the delay," Strasburg said. "I actually heard the fans cheering. I knew something happened. I was hoping it wasn't Braves fans. But to see him run in there and make that catch was pretty awesome. Defense was spectacular, timely hitting, bullpen shut it down, did a great job."

Strasburg has won five of his last six decisions. His team is 18-7 since the four-game sweep at the hands of the Mets at Citi Field.

But does winning three in a row against the Phillies and the 4-3 win over the Braves mean something more? No, Strasburg said.

"Nothing has really changed," he said. "We got great chemistry here in the clubhouse. We got a good mix of young guys, veteran guys who have strong leadership characteristics and everybody plays hard.

"The thing is we've gotten better in certain areas and we're making the team go out there and beat us instead of going out there and 'Man, we gave them that game.' We've definitely seem to have tightened things up a little bit, and (now just need to) keep it going."