Braves (finally) reach .500 mark with 5-2 win over Nationals

Schwellenbach pitched well and Baldwin was the hero of the night.

After a 5-2 win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night, the long, national nightmare is over: the Atlanta Braves are .500 for the first time all season.

The Nationals got out to a lead on the very first pitch of the night as CJ Abrams tomahawked a fastball just over the right field wall. Washington would add another run in the fourth to take a 2-0 lead.

Thankfully, Schwellenbach really settled in over the course of the middle innings. He finished the night with seven strong innings, allowing just two runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out three over an efficient 97 pitches. His ERA on the season sits at 3.31.

Drake Baldwin, who seemingly finds a way to impact the game every time he gets his name called, smacked a slider Michael Soroka left up in the zone over the right field wall to tie things in the bottom half of the fourth. It was Baldwin’s fourth homer of the season in just 75 plate appearances. He also doubled off the wall and singled. He owns a 161 wRC+ and .329/.382/.557 line while sitting the bench more times than not. The kid is the real deal.

In a welcome change of pace, Atlanta kept adding on in the middle innings — instead of waiting until the 8th or 9th — to support the pitching staff. Austin Riley singled home a run in the fifth, and with runners on the corners and two outs in the sixth, Eli White double-hit a ball that corkscrewed its way past the shortstop. And in the ninth, Ozzie Albies spanked a ball into the left-center gap to score Baldwin and provide another run of insurance at 5-2.

Dylan Lee worked the eighth. With Raisel Iglesias unavailable, Pierce Johnson worked the ninth inning with zero drama.

The four-game series continues Wednesday night with Bryce Elder set to take the mound against lefty Mitchell Parker, who is due for some home run correction at any moment. Hopefully the Braves can take advantage. First pitch is 7:15 p.m. ET.