WASHINGTON (AP) — Matt Diaz hit a tiebreaking single in the 10th inning Wednesday night, helping the Atlanta Braves snap an eight-game road losing skid with a 7-6 victory over the Washington Nationals.
Troy Glaus started the decisive rally in the 10th with a leadoff single off Matt Capps (0-1). Melky Cabrera's sacrifice sent pinch-runner Brandon Hicks to second before Diaz, who was hitting .185, looped an opposite-field single to short right.
Hicks scored easily when Roger Bernadina double-clutched and his throw home was late.
Kris Medlen (1-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the win. Billy Wagner got three outs for his third save in four tries.
Atlanta's road losing streak was its longest since a 10-game skid from Aug. 31-Sept. 14, 1996.
Braves right fielder Jason Heyward left the game in the second inning with a right groin strain and is day to day.
The Nationals tied it 6-all against Takashi Saito in the eighth. Ian Desmond reached on an error, Bernadina doubled to right and pinch-hitter Josh Willingham had a two-run single to left.
Washington took a 1-0 lead in the first when Nyjer Morgan hit a ground-rule double to left-center, moved to third on Adam Kennedy's bunt and scored on Ryan Zimmerman's sacrifice fly.
Omar Infante's two-run shot put the Braves ahead in the second.
Desmond's homer to left tied it in the bottom half. Bernadina followed with a single, advanced to second on Luis Atilano's sacrifice and scored when Morgan looped an RBI double to left for a 3-2 lead.
In the third, Chipper Jones had an RBI single to right, and Glaus' run-scoring groundout snapped the tie in the fifth.
The lead was short-lived. Ivan Rodriguez poked a run-scoring, opposite-field single to left to make it 4-all.
Atlanta went ahead in the sixth, knocking Atilano from the game. Diaz led off with a double and Infante walked before Nate McLouth hit a tiebreaking double to right off reliever Sean Burnett. Prado's groundout then scored Infante for a 6-4 lead.
Atilano yielded seven hits and six runs in 5 1-3 innings. He walked five and struck out four.
Braves starter Tommy Hanson allowed four runs on nine hits in six innings.
NOTES: The Braves placed RHP Jair Jurrjens on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring injury, purchased the contract of RHP Craig Kimbrel from Triple-A Gwinnett and announced that Medlen would start Saturday at Philadelphia in Jurrjens' place. ... Washington still hasn't settled on a replacement for LHP John Lannan, who will miss Saturday's home start against Florida after receiving a cortisone injection in his sore left elbow. Manager Jim Riggleman said the Nationals toyed with the idea of starting a reliever, but are leaning toward calling up a starting pitcher from the minors. ... Nationals RHP Jason Marquis threw off a mound Wednesday, the first step in his return from inflammation in his right elbow caused by bone chips. He was placed on the 15-day DL on April 21.
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