Alright, so the Atlanta Braves just barely edged out the Washington Nationals in a pretty intense game at Truist Park on May 12, 2025. The Braves clinched a 4-3 victory, bringing their record to 20-21 and keeping them in third place in the National League East. The Nationals, on the other hand, now sit at 17-25 and are chilling in fourth place after coming up short in a nail-biter of a game due to a ninth-inning error.
In the third inning, the Braves took the lead when Marcell Ozuna knocked in Austin Riley with a single, followed by Michael Harris II bringing in Matt Olson with another single, putting Atlanta up 2-0. The Nationals fought back in the fourth inning when James Wood smacked his 11th home run of the season off Braves pitcher Grant Holmes, narrowing the gap to 2-1. Atlanta extended their lead in the fifth with Ozuna’s sixth home run, a solo shot off Nationals pitcher Jake Irvin, making it 3-1.
Irvin held it down for Washington, pitching six innings and allowing three runs on seven hits with four strikeouts. Holmes did his thing for Atlanta, going 6.1 innings and giving up just one run on four hits while striking out four. Both pitchers kept it real tight, with the Nationals struggling to capitalize on scoring chances, leaving six runners stranded and going 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
The score stayed at 3-1 until the ninth inning when the Nationals made a comeback against Braves closer Raisel Iglesias. Keibert Ruiz and Luis García Jr. singled, and after Josh Bell grounded out, pinch-runner Nasim Nuñez subbed in for García. Dylan Crews then singled, bringing Ruiz home, and a throwing error by Braves shortstop Nick Allen allowed Nuñez to score, tying the game at 3-3.
But hold up, the Braves weren’t having it. In the bottom of the ninth, they answered back against Nationals reliever Jackson Rutledge. Eli White singled, and Alex Verdugo’s double brought him in for the walk-off 4-3 win. Iglesias snagged the win despite blowing the save, moving to 3-3, while Rutledge took the L, dropping to 0-1.
Ozuna led the Braves with two hits, including a homer, and two RBIs. Harris and Verdugo each had two hits, with Verdugo coming through with the game-winning double. For the Nationals, García and Ruiz both had two hits, and Crews drove in two runs with his ninth-inning single. Wood’s home run and stolen base were the highlights of his game.
The game drew a crowd of 32,696 fans, played under cloudy skies at 76 degrees. It lasted 2 hours and 21 minutes, kicking off at 7:15 p.m. The Braves capitalized on their 4-for-9 performance with runners in scoring position, unlike the struggling Nationals.
Washington’s defense was solid, turning no double plays and committing no errors, while Atlanta’s Allen slipped up with a critical ninth-inning mistake. The Nationals’ bullpen, including Jose Ferrer, Jorge López, Rutledge, and Andrew Chafin, gave up one run over 2.1 innings, but it was enough for Atlanta to secure the win.
With this loss, the Nationals fall further behind in the NL East, while the Braves gain some ground in a competitive division. Both teams are gearing up for the next game at Truist Park on May 13, 2025.
