ATLANTA – The Braves know the routine.
Get it down to their final swing. Come through with the big hit. Run onto the field to celebrate.
The Atlanta Braves did it again in their last at-bat, beating the Washington Nationals 3-2 on Jason Heyward’s two-out, run-scoring single in the ninth inning Wednesday night.
“Whew!” manager Bobby Cox said. “We need a breather once in a while.”
Atlanta won for the 21st time on its final swing, which leads the majors, and improved baseball’s best home record to 44-16, maintaining their 2½-game lead on Philadelphia in the NL East. The Phillies kept pace by beating San Francisco 8-2.