Nationals 5 - 2 Braves
Final
  for this game

Lannan leads Nats over Braves

Jul 17, 2011 - 2:50 AM Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - John Lannan continued his recent success against Atlanta, pitching into the sixth inning and delivering an uncharacteristic two-run single in Washington's 5-2 victory at Turner Field.

Lannan (6-6), who was knocked out of his previous start, July 8 against Colorado, after taking a line drive to the face, allowed five hits and a pair of runs. He's 4-0 in five starts against the Braves since the beginning of the 2010 season.

"I just felt confident out there tonight, just tried to get past what happened last Saturday," Lannan said. "That was the main thing. I felt comfortable out there. I didn't have the sinker location that I wanted, but my offspeed pitches helped me out a little bit."

Lannan was hitless in 32 at-bats this season coming into Saturday's game, but went 2-for-3. He was a career 0.83 (16-for-192) hitter entering the contest with five RBI.

"I don't know what to say about that," Lannan said. "We have been taking a lot of BP [batting practice]. I've just been struggling up there. I wasn't really ever a really good hitter, but some days you just get pitches to hit."

Wilson Ramos belted a two-run homer and had three RBI for the Nationals, who were blown out, 11-1, in the opener of this series Friday night.

Tommy Hanson (10-5) saw his five-decision winning streak snapped, as he was charged with eight hits and five runs over 5 1/3 innings. Hanson, who compiled eight strikeouts, lost for the first time since May 27 against Cincinnati.

"I made some mistakes and didn't get away with them," Hanson said. "I felt like I threw the ball pretty well. When I did make a mistake they whacked it. I don't think I was as crisp as I'd like to be. I just missed some spots, a couple balls found the hole and that blow was the two-run homer there in the end."

Alex Gonzalez smacked a two-run homer for Atlanta, which had won six of its previous eight games.

One night after becoming the third franchise in Major League Baseball history to reach 10,000 victories, the Braves totaled five hits and committed a pair of errors.

Michael Morse doubled to left and Rick Ankiel drew a one-out walk in what became a three-run second inning. Ramos then lined a one-hop double over the wall in right field. Ian Desmond walked, leading to Lannan's grounder into center field that plated two more runs.

Gonzalez homered to left with Dan Uggla on base in the bottom of the second, but the Nationals expanded their lead in the sixth inning. Ankiel singled and Ramos followed by crushing his ninth homer of the year to left on a 1-1 pitch.

Atlanta placed runners on first and second with one out in the bottom half, but couldn't come through in the clutch. Ryan Mattheus got Gonzalez to ground into a force play to end the threat.

The Braves didn't have a base runner the final three frames. Drew Storen pitched the ninth for his 24th save.

Game Notes

Lannan is 7-4 lifetime against the Braves. Washington has won 10 of his last 13 starts...Nationals rookies Danny Espinosa and Ramos have combined on 25 home runs this season. No club has more long balls from its rookies...A man dressed in a wedding dress ran into the outfield in the bottom of the eighth inning. He was tackled by security officials.






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