Article:The Tomahawk Times - Nationals Open Park in Style, Beat Braves 3-2



The Least You Need To Know: Despite a late rally by the Atlanta Braves, the Washington Nationals opened their new ballpark with a 3-2 win, courtesy of Ryan Zimmerman's walk-off home run.

Game Recap: ATL @ WAS
The Braves trailed most of the game after Tim Hudson allowed 2 early runs in the first inning, but Hudson certainly righted the ship quickly after his early struggles -- he went on to retire every batter he faced from the 2nd inning on. Atlanta cut into Washington's lead in the 4th, when Chipper Jones provided a solo home run to make it a 2-1 game, but for the most part they struggled to get on base against Nationals pitchers Odalis Perez, Saul Rivera, Ray King, and Luis Ayala... Until the top of the 9th inning, that is. With 1 out, Mark Teixeira doubled to right and Bobby Cox put pinch runner Martin Prado on second. After Jeff Francoeur moved the runner to third on a groundout, Paul Lo Duca let Jon Rauch's pitch go past him to the backstop, allowing Prado to score and tie the game at 2. The tie was short-lived, though: after retiring Cristian Guzman and Lastings Milledge in the bottom of the 9th, Peter Moylan served up a fat pitch that Ryan Zimmerman deposited in the center field bleachers at shiny new Nationals Park, giving Washington a 3-2 victory.

Standings Watch
5th in NL East, 1 game back

Next For The Braves
The Braves will fly back to Atlanta for their own home opener tomorrow, kicking off a 3-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Then they'll play host to the mighty New York Mets on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.