 gave up an RBI single to Nick Markakis in Atlanta's two-run fourth but otherwise faced no trouble. He struck out two Atlanta batters in each of the first three innings and gave up only five hits and two runs.''Stephen Strasburg set the tone,'' said Washington manager Dave Martinez. ''Another great outing by him. He was awesome.'' Atlanta led 2-1 through five innings before back-to-back doubles by Kendrick and Kurt Suzuki to open the sixth tied the game.Max Fried (7-3) hit Victor Robles with a pitch and issued two walks in Washington's three-run sixth. Fried, who gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings, left the game after walking Eaton with the bases loaded, giving the Nationals a 3-2 lead.Anthony Swarzak, making his Atlanta debut after he was acquired from Seattle on May 20, walked Anthony Rendon to force in another run.TRAINER'S ROOMNationals: RHP Anibal Sanchez will come off the 10-day injured list to start Wednesday night. Sanchez is returning from a left hamstring injury. He has had no setbacks and was confirmed as the starter following the game. Martinez waited until a final update on Sanchez, who tested the hamstring by running on Tuesday, before officially announcing plans for the second game of the series.Braves: There is no word on when OF Ender Inciarte will start baseball activities in his rehab from a lumbar strain. Inciarte was placed on the 10-day IL on May 15 and has missed 13 games.PICKOFF ARTISTFried's pickoff move produced two outs. Fried threw to second to pick off Turner in the first. After Eaton was grazed by a pitch from Fried in the fifth, the left-hander's pickoff to first fooled Eaton, who reacted too late. ''For a team like Washington that likes to run, I felt he did a very good job of controlling their running game,'' said Braves third baseman Josh Donaldson.STREAKINGJuan Soto led off the fourth with a single up the middle for a 12-game hitting streak. Soto advanced to second on Suzuki's single and scored on a two-out single by Robles. Rendon had three walks and has reached base in 15 consecutive games.FINALLY WE MEETIt was the season's first meeting of the NL East rivals. This was the latest the teams have opened their season series since 2005 - the Nationals' first year. ''It seems like we've played the Mets every other day,'' Martinez said. ''It's kind of weird.'' UP NEXTNationals: Sanchez (0-6, 5.10) will look for his first win in his 10th start of the season. He is 5-11 with a 4.99 ERA in 18 career starts against the Braves.Braves: LHP Kevin Gausman (2-3, 4.33) is 4-1 with a 4.41 ERA in six career starts against Washington.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Strasburg, Nationals visit BravesFLMThe Washington Nationals hope that veteran right-hander Stephen Strasburg can build on his last two starts when they begin a brief two-game visit to face the Eastern Division rival Atlanta Braves.Strasburg (4-3, 3.25 ERA) will face Atlanta left-hander Max Fried (7-2, 2.88) on Tuesday in the first meeting between the teams this season.The Nationals had their three-game winning streak broken Monday when they lost a 3-2 decision to the Marlins. Washington had lost five straight prior to the four-game Miami series.Atlanta did not play on Memorial Day. The Braves finished a 5-2 road trip on Sunday when they erased a 3-0 deficit in the ninth inning and beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 in 10 innings.Strasburg pitched seven innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits in his latest start, which the Nationals lost 6-4 to the New York Mets on Thursday.On May 18, Strasburg worked eight innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits, striking out seven in a 5-2 win over the Chicago Cubs. In his five May starts, Strasburg is 2-2 with a 2.62 ERA, with 39 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings."When he's on, you can tell that he uses both fastballs -- two-seamer, four-seamer -- and (against the Cubs) curveball, changeup," Washington manager Dave Martinez said. "But he gets ahead of hitters, and when he does that, gets ahead, he's tough." Strasburg is accustomed to facing the Braves, having faced them 30 times, second most behind his 32 starts against Miami. He is 11-11 with a 4.07 ERA against Atlanta, with 199 strikeouts in 161 1/3 innings.In his first five seasons, the Braves got the best of him, beating Strasburg in seven of 11 decisions. But over the past four seasons, Strasburg is 7-4 against Atlanta.Strasburg last faced the Braves on July 20, 2018, when he only lasted 4 2/3 innings and allowed six runs in an 8-5 loss.Fried, who is in his first full season in the major leagues, has won each of his past three starts. During that stretch, he has pitched 17 innings and allowed five runs (2.65 ERA). That includes a six-inning scoreless stint against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 17.In his most recent start, Fried won Wednesday at San Francisco when he allowed two runs over six innings. In five starts in May, Fried is 4-1 with a 3.60 ERA."I definitely would have liked to have thrown a little better," Fried said after his 9-2 win over the Giants. "If the offense is putting up runs for you, I want to keep them down." Fried will be making his third career appearance against the Nationals, his second start. He has only thrown three career innings against Washington, allowing one run on two hits.The Braves sent right-hander Kyle Wright to Triple-A Gwinnett. He was recalled last week to provide some bullpen assistance but will return to the Gwinnett rotation. A corresponding move will be made Tuesday.--Field Level Media
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