Braves batter Nationals’ bullpen, win sixth straight

WASHINGTON — The Braves beat up on the Nationals’ bullpen and won their sixth straight Monday, coming from behind for a 9-4 victory at Nationals Park.

Leads of 2-0 and 3-2 for the Nationals went by the wayside during the Braves’ five-run sixth inning. Two errors, a hit batter, a passed ball, three hits and a walk all the led to the home team’s implosion with reliever Brad Lord on the mound for much of the inning.

Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson each had two-hit nights for the Braves (16-7). Baldwin plated two runs and Olson drove in three.

Bryce Elder started the game for the Braves and gave up two first-inning runs, but nothing again until a single run in the fourth. His final run allowed in the sixth was unearned.

Elder (3-1) went 6 2/3 innings and only surrendered three hits and a pair of walks. He struck out six and his ERA, which was at 0.77 when the sun rose, settled at 1.50 when he departed with a three-run lead and having thrown 98 pitches.

“I thought he had some pretty good stuff,” Baldwin said. “He’s able to command that front-door sinker, which was huge. And then kind of some different arsenal, being able to pitch some north-south and east-west was pretty special. I mean, he just kind of kept it rolling from what he has done this whole year.”

The right-hander was in hot water early, and as nice as that might have seemed on a cold night, it did not make for favorable results. Jacob Young’s two-run single to right put the Nationals up 2-0 in the first after Elder had allowed a hit and walked two to load the bases.

The two earned runs the Nats scored in the first matched the two earned runs Elder had allowed all season coming into the game.

“I think the first time throwing the cold this year, the ball was kind of slick - I mean, no excuse. I gotta figure it out sooner than I did,” Elder said. “But coming back in, getting a hand warmer, kind of getting some sweat back in my hand, a little moisture kind of cleaned it up.

“But, yeah, like I said, no excuses there. Ball was just really slick and didn’t have much control. Was trying to overdo the slider because it was spinning. So kind of settled in after, though, and I was pleased with it.”

National starter Jake Irvin was perfect through three innings, then started the fourth by plunking Ronald Acuña Jr. After Acuña got himself picked off, Baldwin, who has now reached base in every game this season, singled before Olson crushed a 92-mph sinker 419 feet to straightaway center to tie the game.

Daylen Lile quickly put the Nationals back in front with a first-pitch solo homer to right in the bottom half of the inning.

Irvin’s sixth inning started with Mike Yastrzemski hitting a ground ball to second that Nasim Nuñez booted before he threw the ball into the Nationals’ dugout. Irvin then hit Acuña again, this time on the left hand, and that signaled the end of Irvin’s night.

PJ Poulin entered the game and his second pitch went to the backstop. That allowed Yastrzemski and Acuña to score when Baldwin ripped a double into the left field corner that gave the Braves their first lead of the game.

The Nationals then turned to Lord, and Lord could not save them.

Austin Riley’s throwing error in the sixth gave the Nationals a run back. Eli White got that run back for the Braves in the ninth by pushing a bunt up the first base line to score Jorge Mateo from third.

Olson’s sac fly capped the scoring and gave the Braves nine runs in a game for the fifth time this season.