After jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves, the Washington Nationals cruised their way to a 8-4 win.
It was not a solid game for Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez who allowed four earned runs in five innings on five hits and four walks while striking out four. Luckily big innings early kept the Nationals in the drivers seat.
The Nats scored four runs in the top of the first inning, highlighted by a two-run double by Ryan Zimmerman. A Chipper Jones RBI double cut the lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the third, however Zimmerman would get the run back in the top of the fifth with a solo home run. After scoring another run in the top of the sixth, the Nats ran into trouble when Freddy Freeman hit a three-run homer to cut the deficit to 6-4. The Nats would put the game away in the ninth with an RBI single by Zimmerman and an RBI groundout by Tyler Moore.
Braves starter Tim Hudson had a rough start, going six innings, allowing eight hits and six runs (five earned) while walking two and striking out four.
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