ATLANTA _ Nationals ace Max Scherzer rarely issues walks but the Braves earned two in the first inning Saturday. Opponents don't have much success hitting for extra bases against Scherzer yet the Braves rapped three doubles in the second. Scherzer piles up strikeouts but the Braves kept putting his pitches in play.
Presented with these unexpected gifts, Braves rookie right-hander Tyrell Jenkins couldn't make them count. The Nationals beat up Jenkins early and went on to a 11-9 victory on Saturday at Turner Field.
The Braves (44-79) lost their seventh consecutive game and ninth in 10, with an aggregate score of 76-43 during that stretch. The Nationals (73-49) beat the Braves for the fifth straight time in the last eight days and improved to 11-1 against them this season.
The bullpen had been the biggest problem for the Braves lately but this time Jenkins lost it with eight runs allowed in the fourth inning. The Braves got within 11-9 on Chase d'Arnaud's two-run, two-out single in the ninth against Nationals closer Mark Melancon before pinch hitter Anthony Recker popped out to end the game.
After the Nationals roughed Jenkins up in his previous start, they sent him to the worst outing of his young career. Jenkins lasted just 3 1/3 innings and allowed nine earned runs and three home runs on Saturday, following the seven runs he allowed over 4 2/3 innings at Washington last weekend.
Staked to a 3-1 lead after two innings Saturday, Jenkins blew up in the fourth.
The barrage started when Daniel Murphy hit Jenkins' first pitch of the fourth inning over the wall in right. Jenkins gave back the rest of the lead when he walked Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon hit a one-out, RBI single.
The next three Nationals batters also singled, with Wilmer Difo and Scherzer driving in a run each. Trea Turner's three-run homer to left increased the lead to 8-3. Jayson Werth followed with a single that prompted Braves interim manager Brian Snitker to pull Jenkins.
Scherzer walked Adonis Garcia with one out before Freddie Freeman flied out on a ball hit hard to left field. Matt Kemp followed with a walk but Nick Markakis solid ground ball went to first baseman Ryan Zimmerman covering the line.
The Braves let Scherzer off the hook and Zimmerman hit a two-out, solo home run against Jenkins in the top of the second. But Freeman's line-drive out was a harbinger of things to come as the Braves continued to hit Scherzer hard.
Tyler Flowers led off with a double against the wall in right-center field. Flowers went to third when the next batter, Jace Peterson, dropped a weak fly ball into left field. Chase d'Arnaud grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Flowers to tie the game.
After Jenkins struck out while trying to bunt, Ender Inciarte smacked a ball to deep left field that would have scored d'Arnaud if it hadn't bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double. Garcia followed with yet another drive against the wall, scoring d'Arnuad and Inciarte.
Scherzer got out of that inning and then didn't give the Braves much else. He retired them in order the third and fourth innings, stranded two base runners in the fifth, and departed with a 10-3 lead and one out in the seventh.
