Markakis, Suzuki deliver in 8th, Braves beat Nationals 7-4
ATLANTA — For at least one night, the Braves were able to make up for the loss of their top hitter and use strong relief pitching to beat the NL East-leading Nationals.
Nick Markakis hit a go-ahead single in the eighth inning and Kurt Suzuki added a two-run homer to give Atlanta a 7-4 win over Washington on Friday night.
Markakis has taken the No. 3 spot in Atlanta’s lineup that was left vacant when Freddie Freeman was sidelined for about 10 weeks with a fractured left wrist.
“The loss of Freddie, that’s going to sting,” Suzuki said. “That’s going to sting for a while. I don’t know if it’s ever going to go away. ... But it’s our job to go out there and win ballgames and keep ourselves in a good spot.”
Four Braves relievers combined to throw 3 2/3 perfect innings.
It was a stark contrast to Washington’s ongoing relief woes. Shawn Kelley escaped a bases- loaded jam in the seventh before the Braves scored three runs off left-hander Enny Romero (2-2) in the eighth.
“The bullpen is getting roughed up,” Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. “Right now, we’re kind of limping.. We need some help, period. But who is going to give you some help?”
With one out in the eighth, Romero walked Brandon Phillips, who then stole second base. Markakis lined a single and Phillips scored on a headfirst slide as right fielder Bryce Harper’s throw skipped past Matt Wieters.
“The key was walking Brandon Phillips,” Baker said. “Markakis hits lefties well. (Romero) couldn’t get his secondary pitches over and they could sit on the fastball.”
Romero’s ERA rose to 5.75 — still better than Kelley’s 6.08.
Suzuki drove in three runs on two hits, including an RBI double off Gio Gonzalez in the fifth for a 4-all tie.
Arodys Vizcaino (2-1) recorded three straight outs, two on strikeouts, in the eighth. Jim Johnson pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save. Jason Motte and Jose Ramirez combined for 1 2/3 perfect innings.
“Those guys did a great job, all of them,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
ST. LOUIS — The Atlanta Braves have found their fill-in for injured star Freddie Freeman.
On Saturday, the Braves acquired first baseman Matt Adams and cash from the St. Louis Cardinals for minor league infielder Juan Yepez.
The deal came three days after the Braves lost Freeman to a broken wrist. Freeman was expected to miss 10 weeks after being hit by a pitch from Toronto’s Aaron Loup.
Freeman was leading the majors in slugging percentage when he was hurt, hitting .341 with 14 home runs.
Braves general manager John Coppolella said Adams will be valuable to the Braves beyond the time being.
“He’s also played left field,” Coppolella said. “He’s a good bat off the bench. He will help us even when Freddie Freeman comes back to the Braves.”
Adams said he’s looking at the trade as the best thing for his career.
“I’m going to be able to play every day,” Adams said. “But I can’t say enough about the Cardinals and thank the Cardinals for the opportunities they gave me. It was a great run.”
The 28-year-old Adams made his major league debut with St. Louis in 2012. He is a career .271 hitter with 56 home runs and 271 RBIs.
Adams hit .292 with a homer and seven RBIs coming off the bench this season and playing some in the outfield.
Jace Peterson, a utility player, was the Braves’ first choice to take over at first base. Coppolella and president of baseball operations John Hart said the team had no first basemen in the minors ready to start in the majors.
Earlier this month, the Braves released aging slugger Ryan Howard from their Triple-A affiliate.
Coppolella said Adams is expected to join the team in time for Sunday’s game against Washington. He will be expected to handle the position, at least against right-handers.
“He will have a chance to play a bunch early,” Coppolella said. “We will face all right-handers the rest of the homestand.”
The Braves signed veteran James Loney to a minor league contact on Thursday as insurance.
“We wouldn’t have signed James Loney if we thought the trade would happen,” Coppolella said. “Now that we had a chance to get a player like Matt Adams, we feel it’s a way to make our club better right now.”