Baseball is a sport of unexplainable intricacies. What Charlie Culberson’s doing in 2018 would qualify; and the Nationals, who’ve been victimized by five of his eight homers, would probably concur.
Culberson mashed a first-inning three-run home run to ignite the Braves’ 8-3 road win over the Nationals on Wednesday. It was his third homer in six at-bats and third in three games opposing the chief team chasing his Braves in the standings.
Before this season, Culberson was struggling to stay in the majors as a career utilityman. He’s become a key cog on one of the National League’s best teams. Freddie Freeman once declared him the team’s MVP, and with each passing day, that grows more difficult to refute.
Since a 3-for-25 start, Culberson had slashed .305/.342/.529 over 58 games entering Wednesday. He’s capable of playing any position in the field, most recently giving third base a spin.
He loves the big moments, even if he can’t explain why: Four of Culberson’s 14 career homers have ended games. His last two shots – one off Max Scherzer, one off Tommy Milone – didn’t finish games, but they were just as important in propelling the offense to wins.
“He’s always been big,” manager Brian Snitker said. “What he’s done in the roles that we’ve put him in, the big hits, homers, just good at-bats. Professional player. Stays ready. He’s ready for any situation. He’s just a great guy for us to have on this club.”
A mini-home run derby broke out at Nationals Park. Tyler Flowers hammered his first long ball since June 17 – a 448-foot two-run bomb that nearly exceeded the left-field seats and gave the Braves a four-run cushion in the fourth.
Flowers is hitting .442 (19-for-43) off lefties this season. Four of his five homers and 13 of his 19 RBIs have come off southpaws.
“It’s nice to see a little bit of hard work pay off,” he said. “Got some hits and stuff today. Hopefully it’ll continue for the rest of the season.
Ronald Acuna hit his own 452-foot two-run homer later in the inning, building a 7-1 lead.
“He barely got that,” Flowers jokingly said. “He’s got a lot more than that.”
Apparently, Acuna put his remaining energy towards his glove: He robbed Matt Adams of a home run in the bottom of the frame, leaping at the 402-mark and reaching over the green center-field wall to deny the former Brave.
And so Acuna, who entered the year as baseball's No. 1 prospect, homered and stole a homer in the same inning. The Braves have seen his abilities on full display since he moved to leadoff.
“The second it was hit, I knew it was a well-hit ball, so I just turned back without really looking,” said Acuna via an interpreter, adding it was the best catch of his career. “I started running towards the wall and I looked back, found it and measured up where the wall was. I knew I had a chance so I just tried to make a play.”
Mike Foltynewicz, who historically hadn’t fared well at Nationals Park, struck out seven over 5 2/3 innings. He allowed three runs, but only one earned – Bryce Harper hit his league-leading 28th home run the sixth.
It was a nice rebound after throwing 35 pitches in the first inning. He exited with the bases loaded and two out. Luke Jackson, who’s quietly pitched well lately, struck out Adam Eaton for what Foltynewicz’s called the biggest out of the game.
“It’s huge,” Foltynewicz said of the win. “The Nationals are right on our butts. For us to take two after the first one, it’s always great to split a doubleheader then come in here tonight and get a ‘W’. That’s even bigger. There’s still a lot of baseball to be played, and we know these guys aren’t going to go away.”
Credit: Patrick Smith
Credit: Patrick Smith
Culberson started at third base, shifting Johan Camargo to shortstop and placing the slumping Dansby Swanson on the bench. Culberson made an error, letting a ball scoot by his glove, but rebounded with a terrific grab and throw to first on another opportunity. Camargo also made an error in the first inning, resulting in an unearned run.
The Nationals’ 19-year-old star Juan Soto was ejected for arguing with home plate umpire Greg Gibson. Soto twice expressed his displeasure with Gibson’s strike zone when stepping up for an at-bat in the sixth. Hitting coach Kevin Long was also ejected.
The first-place Phillies lost to Arizona earlier in the day, and the Braves pulled within a half-game with their win. They also pushed the Nationals another game back in the wild-card hunt and prevented them from gaining any ground in the East, where every day will matter if they’re going to make a late run.
