Marcell Ozuna and Ronald Acuna Jr. hit two-run homers in the second inning and the Atlanta Braves rolled to a 6-4 win over the Washington Nationals on Saturday to extend their winning streak to seven games
Atlanta improved to 4-1 against Washington this season. The Nationals have lost six in a row
Ozuna's homer, his 13th, went 426 feet to left-center field and scored Travis d'Arnaud, who had walked. After Kevin Pillar's double, Acuna hit one 413 feet for his 13th homer. Both long balls came off starter MacKenzie Gore.
Acuna went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and three RBIs. He is hitting .364 (8-for-22) on the current homestand.
Atlanta starter Jared Shuster (3-2) pitched five-plus innings and allowed three runs on eight hits. He did not walk a batter nor record a strikeout.
Jesse Chavez pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three, and Joe Jimenez worked a scoreless eighth. A.J. Minter surrendered a homer to Stone Garrett to open the ninth but came back to retire the next three batters and earn his ninth save.
Gore (3-5) settled down after the decisive second inning and pitched five innings. He allowed five runs on four hits, one walk and three strikeouts.
The Nationals got one run in the first inning when Lane Thomas tripled and scored on Luis Garcia's sacrifice fly
The Braves tied it in the bottom of the first. Acuna doubled and came around to score on Austin Riley's sacrifice fly
Washington closed the margin to 5-3 by scoring twice in the fifth. Michael Chavis and Ildemaro Vargas singled and both were able to score when Thomas doubled to left field.
Atlanta got another run in the seventh when Pillar singled, stole second and scored on Acuna's double.
--Field Level Media