Senzel homers for first time since April 28 as Nationals handle Braves

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nick Senzel homered for the first time in nearly six weeks and drove in three runs, Eddie Rosario had three RBIs against his former team and the Washington Nationals defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-3 on Saturday.

Washington won consecutive games for the first time since May 29-30, when it also beat the Braves on back-to-back days. The Nationals are 5-2 against Atlanta this season.

Sean Murphy homered for the Braves, who have dropped three of four to fall a season-high nine games behind Philadelphia in the NL East standings. Atlanta was 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position, dropping it to 2 for 17 in the first three games of the series.

“We had opportunities and couldn’t get a big hit,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “When you’re going like this, it is one of them games that you have to turn the page.”

Senzel, who had three hits, helped produce runs in each of his first three plate appearances. He led off the second with a double off Charlie Morton (3-3) and scored on CJ Abrams’ two-out single, then drove in Luis García Jr. in the fourth to make it 4-0.

The third baseman followed Keibert Ruiz’s single to open the sixth with a shot into the visitor’s bullpen off Dylan Lee to open a 7-2 lead. It was Senzel’s first home run since April 28 at Miami.

“Every at-bat was really good,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “He’s getting back, staying in his legs. He’s got some life in his swing.”

Senzel is hitting .359 (14 for 39) over his last 13 games, raising his season average from .196 to .243.

Rosario, a July 2021 trade deadline acquisition for Atlanta who played for the Braves until signing with Washington in March, had a two-run double in the first and added an RBI single in the fifth.

Washington starter MacKenzie Gore (5-5) survived a 27-pitch first inning to keep Atlanta scoreless until Ozzie Albies’ two-out RBI double in the fifth. The left-hander surrendered consecutive singles to open the sixth before yielding to Derek Law, who allowed Marcell Ozuna to score on a two-out wild pitch.

Gore gave up two runs and six hits and a walk. He struck out seven.

“We were just kind of searching,” Gore said of his command. “I don’t know if it ever really came back. It was good enough. It wasn’t as good today, but we made it work.”

Murphy hit Law’s first pitch of the seventh over the wall in center for his first home run of the season.

Morton allowed five runs — four earned — in five innings while striking out three. He is 0-3 with a 5.84 in his last five starts.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Braves: OF Jarred Kelenic (wrist) returned to the lineup after a two-game absence. ... Atlanta recalled RHP Daysbel Hernández from Triple-A Gwinnett and placed RHP Jimmy Herget on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Thursday.

UP NEXT

RHP Hurston Waldrep, Atlanta’s first-round pick in the 2023 draft, makes his major league debut in Sunday’s finale of the four-game series. Washington counters with LHP DJ Herz (0-0, 9.00 ERA), who gave up four runs in four innings Tuesday in his MLB debut.

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