Nats halt 7-game skid with 'huge team effort'

A roller-coaster showdown that could have gone either way ended in a 10-9 Nationals win on Friday night at Truist Park in Game 2 of a doubleheader, snapping Washington¡¯s seven-game losing skid after it lost the first game, 7-1.

One day after hitting an inside-the-park home run, Trea Turner put an exclamation mark on the Nats¡¯ first victory since Aug. 28 when he sent a slider from Will Smith a Statcast-projected 411 feet into left-center field for a go-ahead solo homer. But unlike recent games where it was one or two players getting hot, this was a total team effort at the plate -- even without heavy-hitting Juan Soto, who didn¡¯t play in the twin bill because of left elbow soreness.

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¡°These guys, I say it all the time, they don¡¯t quit,¡± manager Dave Martinez said. ¡°We could be down, and they just find a way to stay in the game and do what they do. It was a battle today.¡±

Searching for an offensive jump-start, the Nationals got on the board in the first inning when Asdr¨²bal Cabrera drove in Victor Robles on a sacrifice fly to put their hitting wheels in motion. In the following frame, Brock Holt recorded his first hit as a National -- an RBI single to plate Josh Harrison, who started in left field in place of Soto.

Those early innings set the tone for a collaborative team win. By the end of the night, six Nationals players had recorded RBIs, led by three from Michael A. Taylor and two from Eric Thames.

¡°This was a huge team effort,¡± Martinez said. ¡°I¡¯m proud of all these guys. These guys that don¡¯t play every day, they step up and they give you everything they¡¯ve got. ¡­ All these guys, they¡¯re a big part of our team.¡±

The Nationals would need all hands on deck to edge the Braves. After taking a 7-3 lead on a five-run third inning, Tanner Rainey, who entered the game with the seventh-lowest ERA among National League relievers (1.10), surrendered a grand slam to Freddie Freeman. The Nationals¡¯ lead was erased into a 7-7 tie, setting the stage for Turner to pull them ahead.

¡°He¡¯s been unbelievable this year,¡± Martinez said. ¡°It was a big lift for us because we battled to get where we were. We gave a lead back to tie, and he comes up there and he hits a home run. To me, that was huge.¡±

The Nationals will need more games like this if they want to make a comeback postseason push this month. Soto is day to day, and they can¡¯t rely on one or two players -- or one or two big moments -- to carry them. Friday¡¯s victory was the culmination of 10 hits by seven players.

¡°It felt good to put up a bunch of runs and everyone contribute,¡± Turner said. ¡°It felt like that¡¯s one of the first games that the lineup from top to bottom has been really solid and really good.¡±

The Nats will play two more contests in Atlanta this weekend before returning to Nationals Park for a six-game homestand. They hope by the time they travel back to Washington that they will be carrying some momentum from this hard-fought victory.

¡°I¡¯m happy for our club, I really am,¡± Martinez said. ¡°They battled all night long. It felt good to get back on the board with a win. Let¡¯s come back tomorrow and go 1-0 tomorrow.¡±