WASHINGTON _ Baseball is a sport of unexplainable intricacies. What Charlie Culberson's doing in 2018 would qualify; and the Nationals, who've been victimized by five of his eight homers, would probably concur.
Culberson mashed a first-inning three-run home run to ignite the Braves' 7-3 road win over the Nationals on Wednesday. It was his third homer in six at-bats and third in three games opposing the chief team chasing his Braves in the standings.
Before this season, Culberson was struggling to stay in the majors as a career utilityman. He's become a key cog on one of the National League's best teams. Freddie Freeman once declared him the team's MVP, and with each passing day, that grows more difficult to refute.
Since a 3-for-25 start, Culberson had slashed .305/.342/.529 over 58 games entering Wednesday. He's capable of playing any position in the field, most recently giving third base a spin.
He loves the big moments, even if he can't explain why: Four of Culberson's 14 career homers have ended games. His last two shots _ one off Max Scherzer, one off Tommy Milone _ didn't finish games, but they were just as important in propelling the offense to wins.
A mini-home run derby broke out at Nationals Park. Tyler Flowers hammered his first long ball since June 17 _ a 448-foot two-run bomb that nearly exceeded the left-field seats _ that gave the Braves a four-run cushion in the fourth.
Ronald Acuna hit a 452-foot two-run homer later in the inning, building a 7-1 lead. Then he robbed Matt Adams of a home run in the bottom of the frame, leaping at the 402-mark and reaching over the green center-field wall to deny the former Brave.
And so Acuna, who entered the year as baseball's No. 1 prospect, homered and stole a homer in the same inning. The Braves have seen his abilities on full display since he moved to leadoff.
Mike Foltynewicz, who historically hadn't fared well at Nationals Park, struck out seven over 52/3 innings. He allowed three runs, but only one earned _ Bryce Harper hit his league-leading 28th home run the sixth.
Culberson started at third base, shifting Johan Camargo to shortstop and placing the slumping Dansby Swanson on the bench. He made an error, letting a ball scoot by his glove, but rebounded with a terrific grab and throw to first. Camargo also made an error in the first inning, resulting in an unearned run.
Nationals 19-year-old star Juan Soto was ejected for arguing with home plate umpire Greg Gibson. Soto twice expressed his displeasure with Gibson's strike zone when stepping up for an at-bat in the sixth. Hitting coach Kevin Long was also ejected.
The first-place Phillies lost to Arizona earlier in the day, and the Braves pulled within a half-game with their win. They also pushed the Nationals another game back in the wild-card hunt and prevented them from gaining any ground in the East, where every day will matter if they're going to make a late run.
