Adams' first career HR in 9th lifts Nats past Braves, 3-2

ATLANTA (AP) — Riley Adams' two-run homer in the ninth gave Washington the lead and the Nationals rallied with three runs off Atlanta closer Will Smith, beating the Braves 3-2 on Saturday night.

Smith blew a 2-0 lead in the ninth, wasting a strong start from Charlie Morton and costing Atlanta an opportunity to move past the New York Mets and into second place in the tight NL East.

Adams, a rookie catcher who took a .091 batting average into the game, crushed the first pitch he saw from Smith for a high homer, the first of his career, into the left-field seats. The homer drove in Ryan Zimmerman, who had a pinch-hit double.

Morton allowed only three hits in six scoreless innings to outpitch Washington rookie Josiah Gray.

Smith (3-6) suffered his third blown save in 25 chances. The left-hander walked Josh Bell before giving up Zimmerman's double to open the ninth. Bell scored on Luis García's groundout as Zimmerman advanced to third.

Jorge Soler had two hits, including a homer for Atlanta.

Morton escaped a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the sixth by striking out Yadiel Hernandez and Josh Bell.

With runners on first and second, Hernandez ended the eighth with a fly ball off Luke Jackson to the warning track in left field. Hernandez saw his nine-game hitting streak end.

Gray, making his second start following his trade from the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 30, set a career high with 10 strikeouts. He allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits in five innings.

Soler pulled a fastball from Gray into the left-field stands for his 16th homer in the first. Atlanta added an unearned run off Gray in the third when Stephen Vogt struck out but reached on a wild pitch and scored on Ozzie Albies' single and center fielder Andrew Stevenson's fielding error.

Andres Machado (1-0) had two...

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