Braves 5, Nationals 1
Mike Minor allowed one run over six innings as host Atlanta completed a three-game sweep of NL East leader Washington, pulling the Braves within 5 ½ games of first place.
Atlanta, which extended its lead for the top NL wild-card spot to seven games over St. Louis, has won eight of its past 11. Minor (9-10) allowed just five hits and two walks with three strikeouts, helping the Braves keep Washington starter Gio Gonzalez (19-8) from becoming baseball’s first 20-game winner.
Michael Bourn went 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs for Atlanta. Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond had two hits apiece for Washington, which has lost four of its past seven.
Chipper Jones’ RBI single and Freddie Freeman’s sacrifice fly in the third gave Minor a 2-0 lead. Bourn scored on Jason Heyward’s groundout in the seventh, and Dan Uggla added a two-run single in the inning.
Washington, which scored six runs in the series, pulled within 2-1 on Desmond’s sixth-inning RBI single. Gonzalez lasted five innings, allowing two runs on four hits with four walks and five strikeouts.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Freeman is hitting .471 (8-for-17) in his past five games. Four of his hits are extra-base hits (two doubles, one triple, one homer). … The Nationals open a seven-game homestand Tuesday with Los Angeles, while Atlanta begins a six-game road trip at Miami on Monday.