Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson got to jog the bases this time.
The rookie hit his second career homer Wednesday, sending Nationals right-hander Lucas Giolito's 3-1 fastball into the left-field seats to lead off the seventh inning. That came a night after Swanson sprinted the bases for an inside-the-park homer.
“People gave me too much crap around here (in the clubhouse) and back home for my first one being an inside-the-parker,” Swanson said. “So I figured this one I would be a bit easier on myself.”
Swanson's homer put the Braves ahead 3-1 but they couldn't hold the lead and lost 5-4 in 11 innings.
Swanson is the first Braves rookie to hit his first two home runs in back-to-back games since teammate Adonis Garcia did it in 2015. Swanson also joins Braves legend Chipper Jones as No. 1 overall draft picks to do so (Jones did it on May 9th and 10th, 1995).
The Braves acquired Swanson, their top-rated prospect, as part of a trade with the Diamondbacks in December. The Braves promoted him from Double-A Mississippi on Aug. 17 because they said they wanted to get him big-league experience this season and evaluate his readiness for a spot with the club in 2017.
