Nationals blow out Braves in 13-4 series opening win

The Washington Nationals reigned supreme in their 13-4 series opener victory against the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park. Stephen Strasburg had been nothing but excellent both on the mound and at the plate. Aside from five innings that saw him giving up eight hits, three runs and two walks as well as seven strikeouts, Strasburg's time at the plate was certainly productive with going three for three with two singles, a home run, and five RBIs.

In the third inning, Adam Eaton hit an RBI triple that scored Strasburg. Anthony Rendon soon followed with a RBI double to score Eaton, and Brian Dozier walked to score Rendon. A fan interference couldn't stop Victor Robles from his ground-rule double that scored Juan Soto and Kurt Suzuki, and to the surprise of all, Strasburg blasted a three-run home run (and yes, he danced in the dugout afterwards).  As if that wasn't enough, the fifth inning saw Strasburg blast an RBI single to score Dozier and Robles.

In the eighth inning, Ryan Zimmerman hit an RBI double to score Rendon, and Suzuki's sacrifice fly helped get Soto home. To top it all off, Dozier hit an RBI single to score Zimmerman, and as one can imagine, the Braves bullpen had been exhausted to the point of sending outfielder Charlie Culberson to the mound in the ninth inning. The Nationals bullpen certainly held its own tonight with Matt Grace, Tanner Rainey, and Kyle McGowin shutting down the Braves following Strasburg's three surrendered runs.

Tomorrow, Patrick Corbin is set to duel Julio Teheran for Game 2. First pitch is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. ET.