Culberson’s walk-off homer lifts Braves to win
Culberson shows power in pinch for another Braves walk-off win
ATLANTA — Charlie Culberson can’t really explain how he keeps homering as a pinch hitter for the Atlanta Braves.
He’s a career utility man with just eight home runs in the majors, but there’s power hidden somewhere in his bat.
Culberson hit a game-ending, two-run homer to lift the Braves to a 4-2 win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday.
It was the second time in a seven-day span Culberson delivered a pinch-hit homer in the ninth inning, marking Atlanta’s ninth victory in its last at-bat this season. The NL East-leading Braves have scored 109 runs in the seventh inning or later, most in the league.
“I don’t really know what to say — right place, right time,” explained the former Calhoun High School standout, who’s in his first season in Atlanta after previously playing for the San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers. “Things just kind of work out. It doesn’t get old. It’s a lot of fun.”
Washington’s Tanner Roark (2-6) pitched the ninth in his first relief appearance this season, giving up Dansby Swanson’s double and Culberson’s winner.
Culberson, who has platooned with Preston Tucker recently while starting left fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. recovers from injuries, has four game-ending homers and four pinch-hit homers in an MLB career that began in 2012. The 29-year-old went deep against Seth Lugo to beat the New York Mets last Monday.
After watching Swanson slide headfirst to beat a tag attempt at second, Culberson simply wanted to make
contact against Roark.
“I don’t hit many home runs, but that was just a good swing,” Culberson said. “I felt like he made a decent pitch on me. I kind of had the feeling it was going out.”
Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino (2-2) allowed the first two batters he faced in the ninth to reach, but Mark Reynolds lined out before Vizcaino struck out Brian Goodwin and Michael Taylor.
Facing Shawn Kelley in the seventh, Swanson hit his seventh homer of the season to make it 2-all.
“It’s a family in here,” Swanson said as he glanced around the clubhouse. “It’s special to be a part of.”
The Nationals went up 2-1 in the third, when Wilmer Difo reached on Swanson’s throwing error and Trea Turner went deep for the seventh time this year.
Turner’s homer was the 89th allowed by Braves starter Anibal Sanchez since the start of 2015, but he gave up only two other baserunners — a double and a walk to Taylor. Sanchez struck out five in seven innings.
First baseman Reynolds’ throwing error in the first caused Nationals starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson to leave the game after one out. Hellickson, who dropped the ball as he covered the bag on Ozzie Albies’ grounder, immediately clutched the back top of his leg and walked slowly off the field with an apparent right hamstring strain.
Jefry Rodriguez, recalled from the minors earlier in the day with Tim Collins on the paternity list, retired Freddie Freeman on one pitch before a two-out single by Nick Markakis made it 1-0. Rodriguez settled down to finish his MLB debut with three strikeouts while allowing four hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings.
Freeman doubled off the top of the wall in the third and is hitting .375 during a 16-game hitting streak, the NL’s longest this season.
Washington’s lone win in the four-game series came Saturday night, when ace Max Scherzer singled as a pinch hitter in the 14th inning and scored the tiebreaking run.
“Atlanta’s not going to go away,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “They’re really good, so we’ve just got to continue playing baseball.”