Washington scored three runs in a sloppy Atlanta defensive eighth to push to a 9-7 win Tuesday night.
A five-run third, keyed by a grand slam by Anthony Rendon (.275/.355/.458, 17 HR, 69 RBI) had put the Nats up early, but starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez was knocked out early.
Gonzalez (10-9, 4.40 ERA, 1.30 WHIP) only lasted three innings, giving up six runs on eight hits.
The Washington bullpen more than made up for the poor start, giving up three hits in six innings of relief work.
Rookie Koda Glover (1-0, 2.63 ERA, 0.88 WHIP) got the win with two-thirds on an inning of scoreless relief in the eighth, ahead of the rally in the bottom of the eighth.
Mark Melancon notched his 39th save, giving up a run on two hits in the ninth before finally retiring the side.
Washington (81-57) maintains an eight and a half game lead on the New York Mets in the NL East, and reduced its magic number to clinch the division to 16.
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Chris Graham
