Even as Philadelphia reeled off the past five consecutive National League East titles and Washington finished behind Atlanta every season, the Braves struggled not only against the Phillies but also the Nationals.
Now the Nationals have replaced the Phillies atop the division standings, and the Braves have stumbled more than ever against the Nationals. Tough to gain ground on a team ahead of you when you rarely beat that team.
The Nationals scored four runs in the first inning against Braves starter Tim Hudson and never trailed in an 8-4 win Sunday to clinch the series on another scorching afternoon at Turner Field.
"We fought," said Braves center fielder Michael Bourn, whose error let in the fourth run. "But it wasn't enough fight."
It seldom has been enough lately for the Braves against the Nationals, who've won eight of their past 10 against Atlanta including six of eight this season. The Braves lost two of three in the series to fall to third place, 4-1/2 games behind the Nationals.
The temperature soared to an Atlanta record 106 on Saturday and to 104 Sunday, but Hudson (6-4) said the heat "wasn't too bad" and didn't affect him. He gave up three consecutive hits to start the game, including a leadoff double by Steve Lombardozzi and two-run double by Ryan Zimmerman, both on 1-and-2 counts.
"I got ahead of some guys and have just got to make some better pitches with two strikes," said Hudson, who went six innings and gave up eight hits and six runs (five earned). "I just missed over the plate, up in the zone."
Zimmerman was 3-for-4 with four RBIs, including a mammoth solo homer in the fifth.
Freddie Freeman hit a three-run homer in the sixth off All-Star Gio Gonzalez to cut the lead to 6-4. But the Braves never got closer and lost for the 45th time in 80 games against Washington since the beginning of the 2008 season.
"They've given us trouble for the last six or eight years, for whatever reason," said Chipper Jones, who had an RBI double in the third inning. "I can put my finger on it a lot better this year and maybe last year than I could the previous four or five years, because [now] they obviously have one of the best pitching staffs.
"But it just seems like they've always hit our pitching, and it seems like their pitchers have always made pitches to get themselves out of trouble whenever we've threatened."
The Braves are 3-3 on a season-long homestand that concludes with a four-game series beginning Monday against the Chicago Cubs, the NL Central's last-place team. After that, the Braves play three at Philadelphia before the All-Star break.
The Braves wasted scoring opportunities in the seventh and eighth innings, and struggling reliever Jonny Venters was charged with two runs in the ninth as the Nationals regained a comfortable margin.
Venters hit Steve Lombardozzi with a pitch with one out, then walked Bryce Harper after getting ahead in the count 0-and-2 against the rookie. Zimmerman followed with an RBI single and Venters was replaced by Cristhian Martinez.
For the Braves, rookie Andrelton Simmons had a 14-pitch plate appearance with two outs in the second inning, fouling off eight consecutive pitches. David Ross followed with a single and Hudson walked to load the bases, but Bourn lined out to short to end the inning. The Braves went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
"[Simmons] had an unbelievable at-bat," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "We swung the bats extremely well, but we just got behind the eight-ball there right out of the chute."
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