ATLANTA — When he was pitching in the minor leagues earlier this month, Josh Collmenter didn’t envision himself beating the Washington Nationals.
He stayed focused, though, and got another chance in the major leagues with the NL-worst Atlanta Braves, who backed him up with timely hitting.
Nick Markakis and Anthony Recker each drove in two runs, Collmenter won as an emergency starter and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 7-3 on Saturday.
“Aside from the two balls that left the yard, I feel good about most of my stuff,” Collmenter said.
Washington began the day needing a combination of six Nationals victories or six New York Mets losses to clinch its third NL East title in five years.