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Uggla extends hit streak, Braves down Nats

Aug 4, 2011 - 12:14 AM Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Dan Uggla finished 2-for-4 with a three-run homer to help the Atlanta Braves record a 6-4 win over the Washington Nationals and avoid being swept in the finale of a three-game set.

Uggla extended his career-best hitting streak to 25 games with an infield single in the first inning and scored two runs, while Freddie Freeman collected a pair of RBI and extended his hit streak to 18 games for the Braves, who snapped their three-game skid. They hold a 2 1/2-game lead on Arizona for the wild card lead.

"We have to start pulling away from the Western Division," Uggla said. "We've got to put, three, four, five wins together."

Uggla's hitting streak is fourth-best in Atlanta history with Rico Carty (1970) being in the top spot. The 25-game run is the best for the Braves since Marquis Grissom hit in 28 straight in 1996.

Brandon Beachy (5-2) gave up four runs on seven hits over five-plus frames while fanning four and walking one. Craig Kimbrel tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 32nd save of the season.

Jayson Werth clubbed a two-run homer and Michael Morse added an RBI single for the Nationals, who had their four game winning streak snapped.

Chien-Ming Wang (0-2), who made only his second major league start since the 2009 season, lasted five innings in defeat, giving up six runs -- two earned -- on seven hits. He walked one and did not strike out a batter.

"Wang threw the ball a lot better this time out, he just made a couple bad pitches," Nationals manager Davey Johnson said. "His ball was a lot crisper and stronger and was moving more."

Atlanta opened the scoring and stayed in front for good, plating two runs in its first at-bat. Michael Bourn led off the game with a single to left, stole second and moved to third on a groundout by Martin Prado. Bourn scampered home on a Freeman groundout. Uggla followed with an infield single to third and Eric Hinske worked a walk to give the Braves runners on first and second with two down. Alex Gonzalez then slapped an RBI single to right to plate the second run of the inning for Atlanta.

The Braves broke the game open in the fifth. Beachy led off the inning by reaching second on Wang's throwing error and Jose Constanza singled to give the Braves runners on the corners with no outs. Bourn and Prado hit into consecutive fielder's choice groundouts, leaving the Braves with runners on first and second with two outs. Freeman came through with an RBI single to center to make it 3-0, and Uggla followed with his 23rd bomb of the season, blasting a mistake from Wang deep into the seats in left for a 6-0 Atlanta advantage.

The Nationals roared back with four runs in the sixth. Danny Espinosa led off with a walk and Ryan Zimmerman singled to put runners on first and second with no outs. Both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch by Beachy and Morse singled home Espinosa to get the Nats on the board. Zimmerman scored on Beachy's second wild pitch of the inning and Werth punished a mistake from Beachy, rocketing the ball deep into the seats in left to make it a 6-4 game.

Game Notes

Bourn stole his MLB-leading 40th base of the season in the first inning...The Braves batted the pitcher eighth in the order for the second time this season...It was Werth's 13th homer of the season...The game was delayed by rain 23 minutes...Atlanta is 22-20 against the NL East, while the 'Nats are 18-26 against teams within their division.