MLB Game Recap - Atlanta at Washington
Sat Sep 14, 2019 4:05 PM EDT

MIN
2
CLE
0
F
PIT
1
CHC
14
F
NYY
13
TOR
3
F
ATL
10
WSH
1
F
BAL
4
DET
8
F(12)
BOS
2
PHI
1
F
LAD
0
NYM
3
F
MIN
9
CLE
5
F
MIL
5
STL
2
F
HOU
6
KC
1
F
OAK
8
TEX
6
F
CIN
0
ARI
1
F
SD
10
COL
11
F
MIA
4
SF
2
F
TB
3
LAA
1
F
CHW
1
SEA
2
F(10)

September 14, 2019 4:05 PM

Final

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

R

H

E

Atlanta

0

0

0

0

0

1

4

2

3

10

14

0

Washington

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

6

2

W: Foltynewicz (7-5)

L: Suero (5-8)

ATL - HR: none

WSH - HR: none

Braves clinch playoff spot behind Acuña Jr.
Sat Sep 14, 2019 9:20 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) The Atlanta Braves celebrated another playoff berth with heavy hearts.

Ronald Acuna Jr. ignited the decisive four-run rally with the go-ahead, two-run double in the seventh inning, as the NL East leading Braves wrapped up a playoff berth with a 10-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday. The victory also eliminated the Phillies from winning the NL East.

But there was no celebrating in the postgame clubhouse, as the team remained concerned about utility man Charlie Culberson, who was struck directly on the right cheekbone by a 91 mph fastball in the seventh on the first pitch by Nationals reliever Fernando Rodney.

"He was good when he went to the hospital. I mean, he was alert and all of that stuff," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said of Culberson, who was pinch-hitting for starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz with two on and no out in the seventh of a 1-1 game.

"We just don't any of the extent of what's going on yet. We are just praying for him and his family. That's scary."

Culberson was helped to his feet with a towel pressed to his face and taken off the field on the back of a cart on his way to a hospital.

Snitker then launched into a tirade against crew chief Tim Timmons that got the manager thrown out of the game for the 13th time, including four this season.

Timmons assessed Culberson a strike since he squared up to bunt. The ball never made contact with the bat.

"You can't bunt when the ball is coming at your face," Snitker said. "That just sounds like ... My God. I am not going to even get into that. I am sitting there looking at this guys, pooling blood on the ground. And I am like, `Come on."'

Snitker was much more subdued after the game, at one point becoming choked up and nearly shedding a tear while talking about Culberson.

His players shared the sentiment.

"It was very tough to see that. He's a phenomenal human being. One of the best teammates you could have," Foltynewicz said. "I look up to him as a father. He actually has three kids. It his kid's birthday today, one of them. I want to be just like him as a father."

The Braves (93-57) did not miss a beat after Culberson was taken off the field and seemed to rally behind their fallen teammate.

Acura and Ozzie Albies hit back-to-back doubles that drove in runs and ignited another bullpen meltdown for the Nationals.

Wander Suero (5-8) was charged with the loss, as the Washington bullpen gave up nine runs over the final four innings.

Foltynewicz (7-5) earned the win after tossing six solid innings, allowing an earned run on four hits and striking out five. The Braves have won the last 11 games he has started dating to June 11.

Atlanta will be making consecutive postseason appearances for the first time since 2012-13. The Braves reduced their magic number to clinch their 19th NL East title to four.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Braves: 1B Freddie Freeman (right elbow soreness) was back in the lineup after leaving Friday's game in the fourth inning for precautionary reasons. He was hitless in four at-bats with a strikeout and an intentional walk. Freeman said he knew he was good to go when he raised his arm in the shower to wash his hair.

Nationals: C Kurt Suzuki (right elbow inflammation) ran sprints and emulated blocking pitches in the bullpen prior to Saturday's game after taking swings in the batting cage Friday. He has not played since Sept. 7 and is still not throwing a baseball.

"The biggest thing is getting the inflammation out of his elbow," manager Dave Martinez said.

Rookie Raudy Read caught Saturday's game. Yan Gomes received a day off after catching seven consecutive games.

UP NEXT

Braves: LHP Max Fried (16-5, 4.02) looks to bounce back after suffering his first loss since July 6 earlier in the week against the Phillies. He is 1-1 against the Nationals this season.

---

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

Pitchers of Record

Atlanta IP H ER BB K ERA WHIP
M. Foltynewicz (W, 7-5) 6 4 1 1 5 1.50 0.833
Washington IP H ER BB K ERA WHIP
W. Suero (L, 5-8) 0.1 2 2 2 0 54.00 12.000

Batting Leaders

Atlanta AB H R HR RBI BB TB SB RC
N. Markakis 5 4 1 0 2 0 4 0 3.2
O. Albies 4 3 2 0 2 0 5 0 2.1
Washington AB H R HR RBI BB TB SB RC
A. Stevenson 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 3.0
V. Robles 3 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.7

Team Comparison

ATL WSH
At Bats 38 31
Hits 14 6
Batting Average .368 .194
On Base Percentage .457 .265
Slugging Percentage 0.474 0.290
Doubles 4 1
Triples 0 1
Home Runs 0 0
Total Bases 18 9
Walks 7 2
Strikeouts 9 7
Stolen Bases 0 0
Caught Stealing 1 1
Runners Left On Base 9 6
Hits / At Bats with Runners In Scoring Position 6/15 1/10
Double Plays Fielded 3 1
Errors 0 2

2019 Reg Season - ATL Leads Series 11-7

Date Result Winner Loser
Tue May 28 WSH 5 @ ATL 4 S. Strasburg M. Fried
Wed May 29 WSH 14 @ ATL 4 A. Sanchez K. Gausman
Fri Jun 21 ATL 3 @ WSH 4 S. Strasburg D. Keuchel
Sat Jun 22 ATL 13 @ WSH 9 A. Minter J. Ross
Sun Jun 23 ATL 4 @ WSH 3 A. Minter T. Rainey
Thu Jul 18 WSH 13 @ ATL 4 S. Strasburg K. Wright
Fri Jul 19 WSH 3 @ ATL 4 L. Jackson F. Rodney
Sat Jul 20 WSH 5 @ ATL 3 A. Sanchez M. Soroka
Sun Jul 21 WSH 1 @ ATL 7 K. Gausman J. Ross
Mon Jul 29 ATL 3 @ WSH 6 P. Corbin D. Keuchel
Tue Jul 30 ATL 11 @ WSH 8 J. Teheran E. Fedde
Wed Jul 31 ATL 5 @ WSH 4 S. Newcomb S. Doolittle
Thu Sep 5 WSH 2 @ ATL 4 M. Fried S. Strasburg
Fri Sep 6 WSH 3 @ ATL 4 D. Keuchel P. Corbin
Sat Sep 7 WSH 4 @ ATL 5 J. Teheran A. Voth
Sun Sep 8 WSH 9 @ ATL 4 M. Scherzer M. Soroka
Fri Sep 13 ATL 5 @ WSH 0 M. Soroka M. Scherzer
Sat Sep 14 ATL 10 @ WSH 1 M. Foltynewicz W. Suero

Game Information

Stadium: Nationals Park, Washington, District of Columbia
Attendance: 39,664
Game Time: 3:29
Weather: 79F, Mostly Cloudy
Wind:
Umpires: Home Plate - ?, First Base - ?, Second Base - ?, Third Base - ?