Atlanta Braves drop rain-delayed tilt to Washington Nationals

The Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals began their match-up at 10:50 pm ET on Saturday night.

Read that sentence again.

Inexplicably, the decision makers thought that it would be a productive idea to have the two teams begin a game at nearly 11:00 pm local time, despite the fact that the Nats would be visiting Atlanta for four additional games this season, and as a result, things dragged on to the wee hours of Sunday morning at Turner Field. Unfortunately, the result was not ideal for the home team, as the Braves fell by a final score of 4-1 in 11 innings.

The 11th began withDavid Carpentersurrendering back-to-back singles toAnthony RendonandAdam LaRoche, and after he retiredIan Desmond, Carpenter was relieved of his duties in favor ofJames Russell. The newly-acquired Russell hasmuchbetter numbers against right-handers this season, but he was inserted to faceBryce Harperand Harper promptly drew a walk to load the bases with just one out.

On cue,Anthony Varvaroentered and allowed an RBI single toWilson Ramos(giving Washington the lead at 2-1) and followed that with aKevin Frandsendouble that plated two runs to extend the lead to an insurmountable margin. It was a brutal end to a very, very long night in Atlanta, and when the dust settled, the Braves fell back to a 4.5-game deficit in the NL East.

The optimistic side of things came in the form ofAaron Harangon this night, and the big right-hander was very effective. Harang allowed only one earned run through seven innings, and in combination withJordan WaldenandCraig Kimbrel, Washington’s offense was silenced for the great majority of the night. Unfortunately, the Braves could not solve the riddle ofTanner Roark, and Washington’s bullpen held up longer than Atlanta’s at nearly 3:00 am ET.

Atlanta and Washington will complete their series with the finale on Sunday evening, as ESPN will televise the match-up at 8:00 pm ET.Alex Woodwill take the mound in opposition ofGio Gonzalez, and to be frank, this is a very important evening for the Atlanta Braves. Stay tuned.

Add us as a preferred source onGoogle

Follow