The Atlanta Braves defeated the Washington Nationals 5-4 Thursday night at Truist Park for their second consecutive win, with Ronald Acuña Jr.'s return to the lineup providing a spark for the home team.
The victory came on a night the Braves honored newly inducted Baseball Hall of Famer Andruw Jones, who spent 16 seasons with the team before his Hall of Fame career. Jones received a pre-game celebration that included a lap around the warning track in a convertible.
Starting pitcher Grant Holmes struggled early, surrendering three solo home runs to Nationals left fielder Daylen Liles in the second and fourth innings before being pulled in the fourth inning. But the Braves found their offensive rhythm to overcome the deficit.
Acuña made an immediate impact after missing extended time due to injury, hitting a solo shot to right-center field in the fourth inning for Atlanta's first run. In the sixth inning, Acuña drew a walk that loaded the bases with no outs, prompting Nationals manager Blake Butera to pull starter Jake Irvin after just 61 pitches.
The move backfired when Ozzie Albies drove in two runs in the sixth to extend Atlanta's lead to 5-3.
Mike Yastrzemski had earlier kept the Braves in the game with a two-run home run down the right field line in the fifth inning, tying the score at three.
Washington mounted a comeback attempt when Luis Garcia hit a triple into deep center field in the seventh inning off Braves reliever Victor Mederos, cutting the lead to 5-4. Closer Raisel Iglesias shut the door for his 23rd save of the season.
The back-to-back victories — a 1-0 win in New York on Wednesday and Thursday's home victory — give the Braves momentum heading into the remainder of their four-game series against Washington.
