In a power-packed performance, the Washington Nationals sent five baseballs soaring over the fence to defeat the Atlanta Braves 10-6 on Friday night.

 

Carter Kieboom, Jake Alu, Kibert Ruiz, Dominic Smith, and Lane Thomas all flexed their muscles with home runs, contributing to the Nationals’ impressive offensive display. The Braves, who had already clinched the NL East title, rested some of their regular players in preparation for the postseason.

 

Jordan Weems (5-0) secured the victory with a solid inning of relief, and Kyle Finnegan sealed the deal. The Nationals relied on six relievers after their starter, Trevor Williams, allowed two runs and seven hits in just 3 1/3 innings.

Before exiting the game, Ronald Acuña Jr. made his presence felt, going 1 for 2 with a run and two stolen bases. He equaled the Braves’ single-season steals record of 72, originally set by Otis Nixon in 1991. Matt Olson also left the game early, serving as a pinch runner in the third inning after delivering an RBI single in the first and drawing a walk in the third.

 

Brad Hand (5-3) suffered the loss in relief of rookie Allan Winans, who gave up six runs in 5 1/3 innings, including three home runs. The Braves had entered the game on a four-game winning streak. Ruiz had a notable performance, going 2 for 5 with three runs for the Nationals, while Luis Garcia contributed a 2-for-5 performance as well.

 

Braves rookie Forrest Wall, filling in for Michael Harris II, went 3 for 5 with a run and a stolen base. Kieboom’s three-run homer in the fourth inning opened the scoring for the Nationals and provided them with a 3-2 lead.

 

In the sixth inning, the Nationals added three more runs to regain the lead. Ruiz’s solo homer and Smith’s two-run blast gave the Nationals a 7-6 advantage. They extended their lead with three additional runs in the seventh inning against right-hander Jesse Chavez, with Thomas leading off the inning with another homer, and two unearned runs courtesy of errors by Chavez and Nickey Lopez.