Braves, Hudson hammer Nationals

The Braves pounded the Nationals, 8-1, on Tuesday in Atlanta. Dating back to last season, the Braves have now won nine straight contests over Washington (five this year). Tim Hudson picked up his 200th win on the mound and homered and hit a double in the game. The homer was almost caught by Bryce Harper but it instead bounced off his glove and over the wall. According to the Braves, citing the Elias Sports Bureau, Cleveland's Bob Lemon was the only other pitcher to get his 200th win and hit a homer in the same game, on Sept. 11, 1956.

The Braves-Nationals rivalry is becoming one of the best in baseball. Since the starting of the Nationals in 2005, at the beginning of this year, the record in the series was 73 victories for the Nationals and 72 for the Braves. Atlanta has certainly held the advantage this season, however.

The Braves started the season as one of the hottest teams in baseball, bolting out to a 12-1 record. They have since fallen off a bit, and are now 17-9, which is tied for second in MLB with Texas. The Red Sox hold the best record at 18-8. Atlanta has been led by new acquisition Justin Upton, who is hitting .298 with 12 home runs. Chris Johnson, who the Braves also got in the trade with the Diamondbacks, has been a great replacement for Chipper Jones at third base. He is hitting .369.

The Nationals are 13-14. Their ace, Stephen Strasburg, is just 1-4 and was shaking his arm during Monday's loss to the Braves. After the game, he was described as having forearm tightness. He said there was no way he was going to miss his next start and the Nationals confirmed Tuesday he is not injured. Still, something to your eye on as the season progresses.

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