 and sped home from first base on Difo's hit to right-center field. Spencer Kieboom added an RBI single. Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, touched off a dugout celebration after he scored.Justin Miller (2-0) struck out five in three innings, facing the minimum, and Sean Doolittle got three straight outs for his 14th save in 15 chances. Washington's bullpen has allowed two earned runs in its last 33 innings.Jesse Biddle, the fifth Atlanta reliever, struck out eight of his 13 batters, including Juan Soto with the bases loaded to end the 11th. He walked two in three innings.Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez faced the minimum through four innings, striking out five, before Nick Markakis' leadoff single in the fifth. Tyler Flowers singled and Johan Camargo homered for a 3-2 lead, his third homer this week and fifth this season. Soto tied the score with a seventh-inning homer off Sam Freeman.Michael Taylor hit a two-run homer in the seven off Brandon McCarthy, who allowed four hits in six innings. McCarthy struck out seven and retired 15 of his final 17 batters.FREEMANBraves 1B Freddie Freeman winced while on a first-inning strikeout. He flexed his left wrist a few times before the start of the second. Freeman missed seven weeks last year after breaking his left wrist when hit by a pitch. He was hit again April 19 against Philadelphia but was back in the lineup the next night.TRAINER'S ROOMNationals: 1B Matt Adams left after fouling a ball off his right foot in the fourth. Adams, the primary backup to injured Ryan Zimmerman, was replaced by Mark Reynolds. ... Manager Dave Martinez said 2B Daniel Murphy and OF Adam Eaton looked healthy in rehab games Friday at Double-A Harrisburg and will be reevaluated on Monday.Braves: LF Ronald Acuna Jr. and RHP Mike Soroka aren't likely to come off the DL until the week of June 12, after Atlanta returns from a six-game trip to San Diego and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Acuna, sidelined since last Sunday with a mild left anterior cruciate ligament sprain and bruises to his knee and back, is expected to play at least two rehab games next week. Soroka, out since May 14 with a right shoulder strain, will make two more rehab starts. He pitched 3 2/3 perfect innings Friday at Class A Rome.UP NEXTRHP Jeremy Hellickson (2-0, 3.20 ERA), slated to start for Washington on Sunday. had no decision and a 4.11 ERA in his first three starts but has a 1.30 ERA in his last five outings. Atlanta RHP Anibal Sanchez (1-0, 3.00 ERA) allowed four runs and five hits Tuesday against the New York Mets in his first start after he missed 37 games with a right hamstring strain.---More baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball)
Nationals chasing Braves as series continues 3h ago• 2 min read Veteran Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis is making a push to become an All-Star for the first time in his career.Markakis takes a .332 batting average into Saturday's game against the Washington Nationals, when the Braves send right-hander Brandon McCarthy (5-2, 5.02) against Washington lefty Gio Gonzalez (6-2, 2.10) in the third game of the four-game set at SunTrust Park.Atlanta has won the first two games of the series to recapture first place in the National League East. The Braves lead the Nationals by 1 1/2 games."That would be just great, if that happened," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. "He's been one of the best and most consistent hitters in the National League from Day One. He's that engine that makes the thing run. He's dependable and you can count on him." Markakis tied for the National League lead with 42 hits in May, three more than teammate Freddie Freeman. He also tied for the league lead with 11 doubles, while his .362 average was third best and his .397 on-base percentage ranked seventh. His 14 extra-base hits were two off the league lead.Markakis became just the second Atlanta Brave hitter with at least 42 hits in May. Ralph Garr and Hank Aaron share the modern-era franchise record with 47. Markakis' total marks just the 19th time a Braves player has collected 40 hits in May since 1900.Markakis finally appears to be completely healthy after undergoing neck surgery in 2014, shortly after he signed as a free agent with the Braves."A lot of work goes into it," Markakis said. "The past couple years, I've been able to build on it and strengthen myself. I feel almost as good as I've ever felt on a baseball field." He will have his hands full with Gonzalez, who is off to a great start in 2018. In 11 starts, the veteran has struck out 63 batters in 64 1/3 innings and allowed only three home runs. He has allowed two or fewer earned runs in ten of his 11 starts and his ERA ranks third in the league.Gonzalez has not faced the Braves this year. In 2017, he started four games against Atlanta and was 1-2 with a 5.32 ERA. In 21 career starts against the Braves, Gonzalez is 5-11 with a 5.11 ERA.Atlanta's McCarthy will be trying to shake off a poor start in his last outing. He was tagged for five runs in May 28 in a loss to the New York Mets. That broke a streak of back-to-back games where he allowed only one run.McCarthy will be making only his fifth career start against the Nationals. He is looking for his first career win against Washington, even though he has a 2.00 ERA against the Nats. He received no decision when he faced Washington on April 21, when he allowed one run in five innings.McCarthy will need to keep Washington shortstop Trea Turner off the bases. Turner had a single in the ninth inning on Friday to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. He leads National League shortstops in on-base percentage, runs scored, walks and stolen bases.
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