ATLANTA (AP) -- Tim Hudson knew it would be difficult
to pitch in record temperatures. Falling behind by four runs in the
first inning hardly helped.
"I was going to pitch as
long as I could," he said. "It wasn't exactly a great first
inning."
Ryan Zimmerman homered and drove in four
runs, and Gio Gonzalez scuffled for his sixth straight road victory to
help the Washington Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 8-4 Sunday in
105-degree heat.
The temperature rose four degrees
from the first pitch to 105 by the middle of the eighth inning. The
National Weather Service reported that Atlanta broke an all-time record
high at 106 on Saturday.
Gonzalez (11-3) capped his
second All-Star selection despite allowing five hits, four runs and four
walks in five-plus innings. He struck out four and threw 64 of his 114
pitches for strikes.
Washington, which has won four
of five, took a 4-0 lead in the first off Hudson (6-4). The NL-leading
Nationals are 10-2-1 in their last 13 series matchups against the
Braves.
Atlanta has lost three of four overall and
has dropped 17 of its last 28 games against Washington at Turner
Field.
"They're in first place for a reason," Braves
third baseman Chipper Jones said. "We have the ability, as a team, to
play brilliantly. We also have the ability, at times, to bring out our
inner Bad News Bears."
Tyler Clippard retired Michael
Bourn, Martin Prado and Jason Heyward on groundouts to end the game.
Since taking over the closer's role on May 22, Clippard has worked 15
1-3 scoreless innings.
Zimmerman made it 2-0 by
hitting a two-run double to center over Bourn and later scored on Adam
LaRoche's sacrifice fly. Ian Desmond followed with a walk and scored
from first when Bourn allowed Rick Ankiel's single to bounce past him
for an error.
Washington went ahead 5-1 in the fifth
when Zimmerman hit his sixth homer into the second level of left-field
seats. After adding a run-scoring single in the ninth, Zimmerman had his
first four-RBI game since Aug. 19, 2011, against
Philadelphia.
The Nationals led 6-1 in the sixth
after Desmond doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on
Jhonatan Solano's RBI single.
"Day in, day out,
they're a tough team," Braves second baseman Dan Uggla said after going
0-for-3 with two strikeouts and dropping his batting average three
points to .232. "I think we match up against them well. We got back in
it late, but it wasn't enough."
Freddie Freeman's
10th homer, a three-run shot to deep center, cut the lead to 6-4 and
chased Gonzalez with no outs in the sixth.
One day
after watching his ace Stephen Strasburg leave the game after three
innings because of the heat, Washington manager Davey Johnson replaced
Gonzalez with Craig Stammen, who retired six of the seven batters he
faced.
Hudson allowed eight hits and five earned runs
in six innings, dropping to 0-2 with an 8.53 ERA in two starts against
the Nationals this season. He began the game with a 14-4 record and a
2.35 ERA in 24 career starts against
Washington.
"Ever since he's been over here, he's
dominated us," Zimmerman said of Hudson. "I know he's dominated me, so
for me to get a couple of hits off him and for us to score some runs
early and give Gio kind of a cushion out there, is really big for
us."
Gonzalez overcame a 14-pitch at-bat by Andrelton
Simmons that resulted in a second-inning walk with two out. Ross
followed with a hard single, and Hudson walked before Gonzalez escaped
the bases-loaded threat when Bourn lined out.
Jones'
RBI single cut the lead to 4-1 in the third, but Gonzalez settled down
and needed just nine pitches to make it through the
fourth.
Gonzalez, who pitched for Oakland last
season, improved to 11-1 with a 2.85 ERA in his last 13 road
starts.
The heat played a considerable role in his
problems, but Hudson never felt comfortable on the
mound.
"Just not very good stuff from location
standpoint and pitch standpoint," Hudson said. "I've got to make some
better pitches with two strikes. I wasn't great all
day."
NOTES: The Braves reported a
crowd of 18,796. Most of the seats in the lower level sections were
sparsely filled as fans spent most of the game sitting in shaded areas.
... Atlanta signed RHP Ben Sheets to a minor league contract before the
game. Sheets, 33, hasn't pitched since 2010. He will start Wednesday for
Double-A Mississippi. ... Bourn went 0 for 4 and struck out in his
first three at-bats. ... Gonzalez allowed just one homer in his first 14
starts, but has given up three in his last two. ... Hudson allowed just
one homer in first eight starts, but has given up three in his last
four. ... Zimmerman is hitting .378 with three homers and 13 RBIs in his
last eight games.
