Nationals’ rally falls short in walk-off loss to Braves

ATLANTA — It was almost a fairytale ending.

CJ Abrams, the Georgia native, coming through in the clutch to steal a win against his home-state team.

Abrams came up huge in the eighth inning with a game-tying double. In the 10th, he hit a go-ahead, two-run triple.

But the Nationals couldn’t hold the lead and lost the opener of a three-game series to the Braves 5-4 in the 11th inning when Chadwick Tromp delivered the walk-off RBI single.

“We’re fighting,” said Abrams, who was 2-for-5 with three RBIs. “We’re not playing bad. We’re just coming on the wrong side and just got to keep stepping.”

After a slow start for both offenses, it picked up in the later innings.

With the Nationals leading 4-2 in the 10th, right-hander Orlando Ribalta allowed an RBI single, a walk and another RBI single that tied the game.

With runners on first and second, he induced a flyout by Matt Olson that moved Ronald Acuña Jr. to third before walking Ozzie Albies and getting Michael Harris II to pop up and Eli White to ground out with the bases loaded.

“Just got to keep working,” Abrams said.

The Nationals (25-27) demonstrated their resilience and pugnacity over their four-game set against the Mets. In Game 1 of a three-game series against the National League East-leading Braves, they showed they could compete.

“Our ability to really dig in and make it tough for teams to put us away and scrape back late and take a couple games into extra innings, it’s been fun to be a part of,” said Miles Mikolas, who threw five scoreless innings. “I really believe that we’re going to start coming out on top a lot of these close games coming up here.”

The Nationals passed the first test against the Mets, who sport the highest payroll in the sport and entered the series having found renewed energy after calling up their top prospects. Manager Blake Butera said he felt the team had an opportunity to win all four games and was pleased with its efforts Friday.

He thought the loss was due to the team’s inability to knock in runs early. In the third, fourth and fifth innings, the Nationals stranded runners at second base. The team finished 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

“It’s tough, really tough,” Butera said. “Just the way these guys battled, competed all night long, man. Obviously against a really good team like [the Braves], to have them on the ropes like that ... this one just hurts.”

Those Braves fans who showed up to Truist Park were quiet for much of the night. Richard Lovelady, who opened the game, and Mikolas combined to throw six scoreless innings, allowing just four hits.

But Braves starter Bryce Elder was stout himself, throwing six innings of one-run ball. The teams were tied in the seventh when the Braves made a rally against left-hander Mitchell Parker, who allowed two runs on three hits in one inning.

“[Mikolas] did a really good job for us,” Butera said. “With the left-handed hitters they have in the lineup, the caliber of hitters they have, thought Mitchell was going to come in and do a good job for us there. Obviously, we went down, he threw [31 pitches in the seventh], and then once we tied it up, felt good with [Clayton Beeter], [Gus Varland] and Ribalta in the bullpen right there, and they did their job.”

The Nationals have to be disappointed after dropping Game 1, but that they’re competing with the Braves portends well for the series.

“I felt like a lot of guys had pretty good nights,” said third baseman Curtis Mead, who hit his fifth home run in the sixth inning. “I think it’s just one of those games you flush and move on and be ready to go tomorrow.”

This article has been updated.