ATLANTA – Trea Turner gave the Washington Nationals the lead by hitting a sixth-inning home run off Will Smith, and they held on in the seventh to beat the Atlanta Braves 10-9 Friday night in the second game of a doubleheader and earn a split.
Ronald Acuña Jr. homered twice and Dansby Swanson added a two-run shot as the Braves beat the Nationals 7-1 in the first game. Acuña totaled three home runs in the doubleheader that opened a four-game weekend series between the National League East Division rivals.
The reigning World Series champions ended a seven-game losing streak and snapped the division-leading Braves’ streak of five consecutive wins.
“You’ve got to start somewhere,” Turner said. “Getting one of these games today is huge. … You just have to take them when you can and try to build off it tomorrow and do the same thing.”
The Nationals are facing new injury concerns as they were without two outfielders. Juan Soto was held out with a sore left elbow announced less than an hour before the first game. Adam Eaton did not play after leaving Thursday night’s game at Philadelphia with a jammed knee.