Despite jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, the Washington Nationals could not hold off the Atlanta Braves who downed the Nats 3-2 at Nationals Park Sunday afternoon.
Steve Lombardozzi and Bryce Harper led off the game with back-to-back home runs, but the Nats offense fell silent afterwards. They mustered just four hits off of Atlanta the rest of the afternoon. Braves starter Tommy Hanson settled down after being shaky for the first two batters, going seven innings and striking out six.
Gio Gonzalez had a rare lapse on the mound today for the Nats, going just 4.2 innings and allowing seven hits and three earned runs. Gonzalez's start was plagued by timely hitting from the Braves, as Dan Uggla pulled the Braves within a run with an RBI double in the third inning. In the fifth, Jason Heyward gave the Braves the lead with a two-run single.
Eric O'Flaherty and Craig Kimbrel came out of the bullpen to preserve the victory for the Braves.
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