WASHINGTON (AP) — Yohandy Morales hit his first major league home run and had three hits in his debut as the Washington Nationals defeated the Atlanta Braves 9-5 on Tuesday night. The Nationals expanded their roster from 26 to 28 players, calling up Morales and Jared Simpson before the game.
Morales struck out in his first at-bat but showed off his power with a solo home run in the third inning. Simpson, making his own debut, entered in the fifth inning with the Nationals leading 5-2. He faced a tough situation, allowing runners on first and second with no outs, but managed to induce a double play and a flyout to escape unscathed. Simpson pitched two more perfect innings, securing the win.
Morales, who hit 25 home runs in Triple-A this season, added a single and a double during his impressive debut. AJ Smith-Shawver, the Braves’ pitcher, struggled, allowing five runs and six hits over four innings. Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II homered for Atlanta, but their lead over Philadelphia in the NL East narrowed to 3.5 games as the Phillies played later that night.
The Nationals responded strongly after Albies’ homer in the second inning by scoring four runs in the bottom of the inning. CJ Abrams hit a two-run single with two outs, and Brady House added a two-run double. In the third inning, Drake Baldwin doubled to score a run for Atlanta, but Morales answered with another home run.
In the seventh inning, the Nationals added two more runs. Reliever Brent Suter committed an error during a pickoff attempt, allowing a run to score from third. Jacob Young then hit an RBI single to make the score 8-2.
Simpson, 26, had a solid season in Double-A and Triple-A with a 2.30 ERA over 58 2/3 innings. He faced eight batters and recorded nine outs, striking out three.
The Braves also called up veteran infielder Kyle Farmer and 25-year-old right-hander Blake Burkhalter. Burkhalter made his major league debut in the sixth inning, allowing one run.
Looking ahead, Grant Holmes (9-5, 3.71 ERA) will pitch for the Braves on Wednesday against Jackson Kent (1-2, 5.59 ERA) of the Nationals.