Homers, Sloppy Defense Help Nationals To 5-4 Win Over Braves

Atlanta's defense was horrible early in the game, but they made up for it offensively only for Washington to steal away a 5-4 win.

Randall Delgado fared better than he did in his last start, but still wasn't sharp. In the second inning with two on and two out, he gives up a run-scoring single to, of all people, the 0-for-14 pitcher Ross Detwiler.

In the third, Delgado got two quick outs, but then the bottom fell out. Jack Wilson, playing second base, bobbled Adam LaRoche's easy ground ball. Michael Morse then reached on what was originally ruled an error on Chipper Jones, later changed to a hit. Backing up the play, Andrelton Simmons compounded the problem by trying to pick off LaRoche at second, but instead threw the ball away, allowing the runners to advance. Both runners scored on Ian Desmond's single. Jesus Flores added a home run in the fourth for a 4-0 lead.

Delgado was gone after four innings, having thrown 90 pitches on a really warm day. Atlanta had chances against Detwiler, putting two on in the third inning and loading the bases in the fifth, but squandered both opportunities.

Elation was soon to follow. The score was still 4-0 in the seventh when with two on, Martin Prado delivered a pinch-hit RBI single and Michael Bourn followed with a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to two. Andrelton Simmons then smacked a game-tying two-run homer to chase Detwiler from the game.

That elation feeling? Gone in the eighth. On Chad Durbin's first pitch, Michael Morse untied the game with an opposite-field home run. A ninth-inning rally fell short against Tyler Clippard and the Braves dropped their fifth game in six tries against the Nationals this year.

Tomorrow doesn't get any easier with Minor opposing Strasburg.