WASHINGTON (AP) — Tim Hudson pitched seven innings of four-hit ball, Evan Gattis homered, and the Atlanta Braves beat Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals 3-1 Saturday for their eighth straight victory.
Hudson (2-0) allowed one run, walked none and struck out three in improving his lifetime record against Washington to 15-5. Not only did the right-hander outpitch Strasburg, but he also got two singles off Washington's hard-throwing ace.
Strasburg (1-2) gave up two unearned runs and five hits in six innings. He struck out seven, walked one and hit a batter.
Atlanta took the lead for good in the third inning, when Gattis homered after a two-out throwing error by Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. It was the fourth homer in eight games for Gattis, who made his major league debut on April 3.
That was enough offensive support for Hudson, who allowed only one runner past second base — Danny Espinoza, who hit a solo homer in the fifth.
After Eric O'Flaherty worked a perfect eighth for the Braves, Jason Heyward hit a run-scoring grounder in the ninth for a 3-1 cushion. Craig Kimbrel then got three straight outs for his sixth save in six tries.
The victory kept the first-place Braves unbeaten on the road (5-0) and increased their lead over Washington in the NL East to three games. Atlanta (9-1) is off to its best start since 1994 (13-1).
The Nationals, on the other hand, are stuck in their first skid of the season. Washington lost to Atlanta on Friday night after blowing a four-run lead.
Atlanta missed a chance to break on top in the second inning when left fielder Bryce Harper threw out Dan Uggla, who was trying to score from second on a two-out single by Hudson.
In the third, however, Gattis put the Braves up 2-0 with a shot to left after Justin Upton reached on Zimmerman's errant throw to first base, Washington's 10th error in 11 games.
Espinoza halved Atlanta's lead with his first homer of the season. Prior to that, Hudson had retired 10 of 11 batters.
After that, Hudson got seven straight outs to finish his sparkling performance.
NOTES: Nationals manager Davey Johnson said reliever Henry Rodriguez is still receiving treatment on his right elbow. Rodriguez, who pitched a scoreless eighth inning Saturday, underwent season-ending surgery last August to remove bone chips from his elbow. ... Atlanta is 7-0 when scoring first. ... The game drew a crowd of 41,992, the fifth sellout of a regular-season game in Nationals history. ... The Braves will seek to complete a three-game sweep Sunday. Paul Maholm (2-0, 0.00 ERA) with start for Atlanta, and Gio Gonzalez (1-0, 0.82) gets the call for Washington. ... Heyward went 0 for 4 and is batting .086, but in addition to his ninth-inning RBI, the right fielder made a fine diving catch in the seventh inning to rob Adam LaRoche of an extra-base hit. ... Harper went 0 for 3, only the second time in 11 games he did not reach base.
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