Albies, Duvall go deep in Braves' 8-5 win over Nationals

ATLANTA (AP) — Ozzie Albies hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer off Ryne Harper in the seventh inning, Adam Duvall took Paolo Espino deep with an early three-run shot, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 8-5 on Tuesday night.

Albies, who had four RBIs and went deep for the fourth straight game, put the Braves up 5-1 in the fourth with a sacrifice fly, before the Nationals scratched back to score four runs in the top of the seventh against Tyler Matzek on Juan Soto’s RBI single and Yadiel Hernandez’s eighth homer, a three-run shot.

Albies’ 28th homer, which sailed into the seats in left-center, made it 7-5. Duvall, the NL RBIs leader with 97, gave the Braves a 3-1 lead in the first inning with his 32nd homer.

Atlanta, the three-time NL East defending champion, began the day with a 1½-game lead over Philadelphia in the division, but it had lost six of nine.

Will Smith recorded his 31st save in 35 chances after facing the minimum in the ninth.

Freddie Freeman doubled in the third and scored on Travis d’Arnaud’s double to make it 4-1. Duvall was tagged out at home on the play to end the inning.

Braves starter Max Fried pitched out of a jam in the second when he struck out Lane Thomas to strand a runner at third, and escaped trouble in the fourth when he stranded two runners on Thomas’ groundout. The lefty left a runner at third in the fifth when he picked off Carter Kieboom at first. The pickoff was Fried’s sixth, and his 20 pickoffs since he debuted in 2017 are most in the major leagues.

Fried gave up one run and six hits with four walks and five strikeouts in six innings. He has a 1.97 ERA in his last 10 starts, a span of 64 innings.

The Nationals led 1-0 in the first when Alcides Escobar doubled, advanced to third on a fielder’s choice and scored on...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Albies-Duvall-go-deep-in-Braves-8-5-win-over-16441945.php