Pinch-hitter Tyler Pastornicky reached on shortstop Ian Desmond's throwing error, and Andrelton Simmons scored to give the Atlanta Braves a walk-off 2-1 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday. With the win, Atlanta cut Washington's lead in the National League East to 7½ games.
Atlanta starting pitcher Kris Medlen had one of the best performances of his young career. Medlen allowed a run on five hits and a walk in seven innings. He had 10 strikeouts through five innings and finished with a career-high 13. Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the top of the ninth and earned his second win of the season.
Ross Detwiler started for the Nationals and pitched almost as well as Medlen. Detwiler threw six innings and gave up one run on seven hits and a walk. He struck out five. Sean Burnett took the loss for the Nats. He gave up one unearned run on two hits in ⅓ of an inning.
Simmons drove in Freddie Freeman with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth to give the Braves the early lead. Bryce Harper tied the game with a solo home run in the top of the sixth.
Stick with this StoryStream for scores, news updates and more from the Braves vs. Nationals series. Braves blog Talking Chop has you covered for Atlanta analysis and commentary, and check out Baseball Nation for coverage from across the league.