Nationals Shut Out by Braves 9-0 as Acuña Makes History in Washington

The Washington Nationals could not carry the momentum from Tuesday night’s victory into Wednesday, falling 9-0 to the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park.

Atlanta broke open a scoreless game with three runs in the sixth inning and eventually scored nine unanswered runs while holding Washington to only two hits. Ronald Acuña Jr. and Sean Murphy supplied the biggest blows with three-run home runs as the Braves improved to 83-57 and Washington fell to 67-75.

The result was disappointing for Washington, but Wednesday did provide one significant positive: James Wood returned to the Nationals lineup after nearly a month on the injured list.

Pitching Controls the Early Innings

Washington starter Brad Lord kept Atlanta off the scoreboard through the early portion of the afternoon.

Lord worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings before weather interrupted the game. Braves starter Grant Holmes was even better, throwing three hitless innings before the delay ended his afternoon.

The delay lasted more than an hour and significantly changed how both clubs handled their pitching staffs.

When play resumed, Riley Cornelio replaced Lord with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth. Cornelio escaped the dangerous situation without allowing a run, keeping the game tied at zero.

Washington had survived Atlanta’s first major scoring opportunity.

The Nationals would not be as fortunate two innings later.

Murphy Breaks Open the Game

Acuña singled to begin Atlanta’s sixth inning and later stole second base.

After Cornelio retired two batters, Washington intentionally walked Michael Harris II to bring Murphy to the plate.

The strategy backfired.

Murphy drove a pitch over the wall for a three-run homer, suddenly giving Atlanta a 3-0 advantage after five-plus scoreless innings.

It was Murphy’s third home run of the season.

The homer completely changed the complexion of the game. Washington had stayed within one swing through the first five innings, but the Nationals’ struggling offense now needed to produce against an Atlanta pitching staff that had not surrendered a hit.

Wood Returns and Breaks Up the No-Hit Bid

One of the biggest developments of the afternoon came in the bottom of the sixth.

Wood, activated after missing 27 games with a left oblique strain, singled for Washington’s first hit of the game. It was an encouraging return for one of the Nationals’ most important young players.

Wood had been sidelined since Aug. 4.

His return gives Washington another opportunity to evaluate its young core during the final weeks of the season while getting one of its premier offensive players regular major league at-bats again.

Unfortunately for Washington, Wood’s single did not spark a rally.

Atlanta immediately added considerably more separation.

Acuña Makes MLB History

Acuña provided the defining moment of the afternoon in the seventh.

Facing Max Kranick with two runners aboard, Acuña launched a three-run homer that doubled Atlanta’s lead to 6-0.

It was not just another home run.

It was the 200th homer of Acuña’s career.

Combined with his 200-plus career stolen bases, Acuña reached the 200-home run, 200-stolen base club in his 904th career game, making him the fastest player in MLB history to reach both milestones.

Acuña finished with three hits while continuing to provide a major spark for an Atlanta club preparing for another postseason run.

The seventh inning effectively ended any realistic hope of a Washington comeback.

Braves Continue to Pile On

Atlanta was not finished.

Austin Riley drove in two more runs with a single in the eighth inning against Kranick, stretching the Braves’ advantage to 8-0.

Washington’s second and final hit came when Yohandy Morales singled in the eighth.

Morales was coming off an outstanding major league debut Tuesday in which he collected three hits, including a home run, as Washington defeated Atlanta 9-5. But the Nationals could not reproduce that offensive performance Wednesday.

Atlanta added its ninth run in the top of the ninth when Murphy delivered an RBI single off position player José Tena.

Murphy finished with four RBIs between his three-run homer and ninth-inning single.

Victor Mederos closed out the victory by striking out CJ Abrams for the final out.

Atlanta Pitching Dominates

The Braves’ pitching staff never gave Washington an opportunity to establish any offensive rhythm.

Holmes threw three hitless innings before the rain delay forced Atlanta to change pitchers.

Elieser Hernández then provided three scoreless innings in relief and earned the victory. Atlanta’s bullpen finished the job as the Braves combined to allow just two hits in the shutout.

Wood and Morales accounted for Washington’s only hits.

That was a dramatic reversal from Tuesday, when the Nationals scored nine runs and received significant contributions from their September call-ups.

Ruiz Leaves Game

Washington also received an injury scare involving catcher Keibert Ruiz.

Ruiz left the game after taking a foul tip off his mask. Initial evaluation indicated he did not suffer a concussion, providing some good news for Washington following an otherwise difficult afternoon.

James Wood’s Return Matters

The final score will understandably dominate the box score, but Wood’s return is arguably the most important long-term development for Washington.

The 23-year-old had not played for the Nationals since Aug. 4 because of the oblique strain and made two rehab appearances with Double-A Harrisburg before being activated Wednesday.

Wood immediately recorded a hit in his return.

With Washington playing out the final weeks of the season, getting Wood healthy and back into a regular rhythm alongside Abrams, Dylan Crews, Morales and the rest of the Nationals’ developing roster should be a major priority.

MSB Take

There is not much positive analysis that can be applied to a 9-0 loss, especially when the Nationals manage only two hits.

But Wednesday was also a reminder that Washington’s final month should be judged by more than wins and losses.

Getting James Wood back matters.

Wood is one of the biggest pieces of the Nationals’ future, and getting him another 20 games or so against major league pitching before the offseason has real value. Seeing him immediately record a hit after missing almost a month was encouraging.

The Nationals also got another look at Riley Cornelio after promoting him, while Yohandy Morales followed his tremendous debut with another major league hit.

Those are players Washington needs to learn about.

At the same time, this game illustrated how far the Nationals still have to go.

Atlanta has a lineup capable of changing a game quickly. Washington kept the Braves scoreless for five innings, but one mistake to Murphy made it 3-0. One swing from Acuña made it 6-0. Soon it was 9-0.

That is what good teams do. They punish mistakes.

For Washington, the remaining games are an opportunity to figure out which young players can eventually help them do the same thing.

The loss was ugly. Wood being healthy again is much more important to the Nationals’ long-term picture.