Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez walks off the field after being hit in the left calf by a ball off the bat of the Washington Nationals' Michael Taylor during the second inning Thursday. He did not return to the game.WASHINGTON - Gio Gonzalez ended a personal drought that spanned more than two months on Thursday while helping the Washington Nationals earn a four-game split with another National League East contender.
Gonzalez pitched seven strong innings for his first victory since May 28, leading the Nationals to a 6-3 win over the second-place Atlanta Braves.
"I think I was just happy that I got to high-five my teammates for the first time in a while," Gonzalez said. "For me it was not the pressure, it was just the going out there and doing what I can do to go out there and try and pitch the best I can. Today it finally showed. It finally stepped to the right direction that I wanted."
The Nationals moved within 5 1/2 games of idle NL East leader Philadelphia. The Braves fell a game behind the Phillies.
Gonzalez (7-8), who had gone 11 consecutive starts without a victory, snapped a seven-game losing streak. He allowed six hits and one walk while striking out three. The lone run he allowed came when Nick Markakis hit a home run to lead off the second inning.
Atlanta starter Anibal Sanchez pitched two scoreless innings but left after getting hit in the left calf by a grounder from Michael Taylor. Braves manager Brian Snitker said he was hopeful Sanchez would make his next start.
"It looked like Anibal was going to have one of his games starting out," Snitker said. "He was sharp as can be. We just had a hard time getting a hold of Gio. That was the biggest thing. We couldn't do anything with him."
Sanchez was replaced by Wes Parsons (0-1), who yielded a bases-loaded walk to Juan Soto and a sacrifice fly by Anthony Rendon as Washington went ahead in the third.
Taylor homered to left in the fourth inning to bump Washington's lead to 3-1, and Daniel Murphy added an RBI double in the sixth.
Parsons worked five innings in his MLB debut, vital for a team that had two starters last only two innings during the series in Washington. The Braves headed home to host the Milwaukee Brewers after a 5-3 road trip.
"A winning road trip, you take that every single time," said Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman, who had three hits Thursday. "Sometimes you have to lose a battle to win the war. I thought what Wes Parsons did was absolutely huge for this ballclub. That's going to win us games later on with a fresh bullpen."
Ronald Acuna Jr.'s one-out homer in the eighth pulled Atlanta within two runs, but the Nationals got RBIs from Ryan Zimmerman and Mark Reynolds in the bottom of the inning to make it 6-2.
Washington went 7-3 on its homestand and now begins a seven-game trip to face the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals.
"It was big - a big win for us," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. "Happy flight."
Washington outfielder Bryce Harper was scratched from the starting lineup with right knee soreness. Atlanta reliever Dan Winkler hit Harper just below the right knee in the seventh inning Wednesday night. Martinez said X-rays on Harper were negative.
Braves third baseman Johan Camargo was out of the starting lineup for the first time since July 14 but struck out as a pinch-hitter to end the game. Former Calhoun (Georgia) High School standout Charlie Culberson, who had homered in three straight games entering Thursday, filled in at third for Camargo. Culberson went 2-for-4.