James Wood's bombs boost Nats to series salvaging win over Braves
BASEBALL-MLB-ATL-WAS/RECAP
James Wood hit a pair of deep solo home runs and the visiting Washington Nationals beat Atlanta 4-3 on Wednesday to end the Braves' 10-game winning streak.
The Nationals (65-94) salvaged a game from the three-game series and won their final road game of the season. The Braves (75-84) took the season series 9-4.
Wood launched a 445-foot homer in the sixth and a 436-foot shot in the eighth, giving him 30 for the season. It was his third multi-homer game of the season and fourth of his career.
Woods became the second Nationals player to have 30 homers and 15 steals in a season, joining Alfonso Soriano from 2006.
Washington starter Andrew Alvarez was removed after pitching 4 1/3 scoreless innings before he had a chance to work through the lineup a third time. Alvarez allowed two hits and three walks, striking out five, and lowered his ERA to 2.31.
Mitchell Parker (9-16) got the final two outs of the fifth and picked up the win. Jose Ferrer earned his 10th save, despite allowing a run in the ninth.
Washington pitchers shut down Atlanta sluggers Matt Olson and Ronald Acuna Jr. in key situations. The duo could not drive in a run with the bases loaded in the fifth inning and left two runners on base in the seventh. Atlanta went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded ten runners on base.
Atlanta starter Bryce Elder (8-11) pitched seven innings and allowed three runs on six hits -- two of them homers -- with no walks and seven strikeouts.
The Nationals scored a run in the first inning on an RBI single by Daylen Lile that scored C.J. Abrams; Lile went 3-for-4 and lifted his batting average to .296.
Washington added a solo homer from Josh Bell, a 429-foot solo home run, his 21st, in the fourth.
The Braves scored with a trio of solo homers. Drake Baldwin hit his 19th in the sixth and Marcell Ozuna hit his 21st homer in the eighth, his first since Aug. 13. Eli White hit a pinch-hit homer to lead off the ninth, his 10th.
--Field Level Media
