Braves lose to Nationals in 12 innings

The good news is that Ronald Acuna doesn't seem to be seriously hurt after fouling off a pitch on his ankle. The bad news is the Braves lost in 12 innings.

If the Braves have had a 2020 game this year, meaning kind of crazy and typical for this calendar year, Friday might  have been it.

They lost to the Washington Nationals 8-7 in 12 innings. The loss was tough to take since they again rebounded from an early 5-0 deficit and scored three runs in the ninth inning to tie the game 7-7.

But what's tough to swallow is 22 men left on base. The Braves squandered many opportunities in the three extra frames and came up short each time.

Early on, Josh Tomlin was not able to follow up on his good start last Sunday. He allowed five runs on seven hits in four innings. The Braves bullpen then did it's job, as it usually does, by giving  up only three runs (two earned) on four hits in 7.2 innings.

The Braves had to hold their breath when Ronald Acuna had to leave the game after fouling a pitch off his ankle. Manager Brian Snitker reported after the game (video is attached to this article) that Acuna was jumping around on it later and the x-rays did not show a fracture. Snitker hoped Acuna would be available for Saturday's game.

It was another big offensive night for Marcell Ozuna. The designated hitter went 5-6 with a home run and four RBI. He improved his batting average to .322, 12th best in baseball entering Saturday's play. 

Atlanta will play the Nationals again Saturday with the first pitch starting at 6:05. Ian Anderson will pitch for the Braves.