Rookie Reynaldo Lopez struck out 11 to pitch the Washington Nationals to an 8-2 win at Atlanta on Thursday night.
Lopez (2-1, 4.37 ERA, 1.46 WHIP) gave up a run on four hits in seven innings, striking out 11 Braves and walking two.
It was the second straight masterful start for Lopez against Atlanta. The flame-throwing righty got the win against the Braves on Aug. 13, giving up a run on five hits in seven innings that night.
The Nats (71-49) took advantage of sloppiness on the part of Atlanta, whose pitchers walked seven Washington hitters, and two Braves errors led to four unearned runs.
Bryce Harper (.242/.386/.454, 21 HR, 62 RBI) received two of those free passes on a 1-for-3 night, scoring two runs.
Jayson Werth (.256/.346/.442, 16 HR, 55 RBI) was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI for the Nats, who now have a season-high nine and a half game lead on Miami (62-59) in the NL East.
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Chris Graham
