Strasburg, Nationals end Braves’ 5-game home streak

ATLANTA _ After piecing together a five-game home winning streak without scoring more than two runs, the Braves knew they couldn’t afford to fall behind early in a series finale against the Washington Nationals on Thursday night if they hoped to extend it. Particularly not with Stephen Strasburg on the mound.tmpplchld This is not the version of Strasburg the Braves got used to knocking around to an inexplicable degree in previous seasons. Lately he’s been dominant against everyone, and that’s the pitcher the Braves saw in his final start against them last season and his only previous start against them this season.tmpplchld And that’s the was the guy they saw again Thursday, when Strasburg limited the Braves to six hits and one walk in six scoreless innings of a 3-0 win that thwarted the Braves’ shot at a three-game sweep and spoiled a third consecutive night of exceptional pitching from a Braves rookie starter.tmpplchld This time it was Ryan Weber, who allowed five hits and no walks with a career-high 10 strikeouts in seven innings. In his fifth big-league start, he was outstanding. Unfortunately for Weber and the Braves, one of the hits against him was Clint Robinson’s home run on a full-count pitch in the second inning for a 1-0 lead.tmpplchld After Freddie Freeman pinch-hit for Weber with a runner on and one out in the seventh _ Freeman flied out _ Braves relievers gave up two runs in the eighth, both unearned after a throwing error by third baseman Adonis Garcia.tmpplchld Garcia, who has seven errors since Aug. 22, filled in for third baseman Hector Olivera, who was scratched from the lineup after reporting tightness in the elbow/funny bone area where he was struck by a pitch Tuesday.tmpplchld Strasburg improved to 3-0 with no runs allowed in his past three starts against the Braves. He had his string of four double-digit strikeout games snapped, but his seven strikeouts included some big ones.tmpplchld The Nationals didn’t have another runner advance past first base all night against Weber, while the Braves had runners in scoring position against Strasburg in the second, third and sixth innings, and came away empty each time.tmpplchld In the second inning, they got a two-out walk from Jace Peterson and a single from Andrelton Simmons before Christian Bethancourt’s inning-ending fielder’s choice. In the third inning, Cameron Maybin singled with two out, stole second and went to third on a catcher’s throwing error before Nick Markakis lined out to center.tmpplchld And in the sixth, Markakis and Adonis Garcia had consecutive one-out singles before Strasburg struck out Nick Swisher and Peterson consecutively to end the inning.tmpplchld The Braves also had two in the seventh against reliever Blake Treinen before Maybin grounded out to end the inning.tmpplchld Having Strasburg quash rally hopes is nothing to be ashamed of, particularly in recent months. The Nationals ace had a 1.89 ERA and .168 opponents’ average in 12 starts before Wednesday, with 103 strikeouts and only 11 walks in 76 innings.tmpplchld Spending more than a month on the disabled list in the middle of that span didn’t do anything to slow Strasburg, and he came into Thursday’s game red-hot _ a 1.48 ERA and .144 opponents’ average in his previous four starts, with 50 strikeouts and four walks in 30 1/3 innings.tmpplchld Plenty of Braves fans might have welcomed a series finale against Strasburg, who was 5-7 with a 4.01 ERA in 18 starts against Atlanta before Thursday, his highest ERA against any team he’d faced more than four times. He was 2-3 with a 5.60 ERA in eight starts at Turner Field before this one, his worst ERA at any of seven ballparks where he’d made more than three starts.tmpplchld However, those tides have shifted recently. In his past three starts against the Braves, one last September, one in June at Washington, and this one, Strasburg has allowed 15 hits and two walks with 20 strikeouts in 18 scoreless innings.tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.)tmpplchld Visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.) at www.ajc.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld