Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Saturday, April 13, 2013, in Washington.WASHINGTON – Tim Hudson and Stephen Strasburg were so sharp, it became evident very early there would be little margin for error.
The Washington Nationals made the game’s most costly miscue, and that helped the Atlanta Braves emerge with a 3-1 victory Saturday in a showdown between the top two teams in the NL East.
Hudson pitched seven innings of four-hit ball, Evan Gattis hit a third-inning homer after an errant two-out throw, and the Braves escaped with their eighth straight win.
Strasburg (1-2) didn’t give up an earned run in his six innings of work, but Atlanta got all the offense it needed when Washington third baseman Ryan Zimmerman threw wildly to first base after fielding Justin Upton’s grounder and Gattis followed with his fourth home run in eight big league games.
“In close games like today, well-pitched games, it’s the little things you have to do that win the game,” Hudson said. “They made one mistake that cost them the game, and we were pretty solid all day.”