Matt Olson had four hits and drove in four runs, Drake Baldwin strengthened his Rookie of the Year chances, Spencer Strider pitched well for seven innings, and the Braves beat the Nationals in front of a sparse crowd at Nationals Park on Monday night, 11-3.
Olson has been on a ridiculous heater in recent weeks and notched a four-hit game on Monday. He doubled twice and launched a three-run homer off lefty Mitchell Parker to blow the game wide open. On the season, Olson is now hitting a robust .277/.371/.483 with a 137 wRC+, which is comfortably his second-best mark since joining the Braves prior to the 2022 season. He is now 10th in baseball in offense in 2025.
Other than Olson, everyone in Atlanta’s lineup recorded at least one hit. Baldwin drove in four runs — capped off by a two-run homer in the ninth inning — as the Rookie of the Year race nears its conclusion. The big night for Baldwin helped snap an 0/16 and 1/24 skid coming into the game. A strong final two weeks to the season may be the difference in winning the award and capturing a first round pick for Atlanta.
Strider pitched really well against the lowly Nationals, working seven innings of one-run ball. He struck out six, issued two walks and gave up four hits. He generated 15 whiffs.
Strider found himself in a bases loaded jam in the fourth, but Dylan Crews tapped a ball right in front of the plate for Baldwin to step on the plate and throw Crews out at first for an inning-ending double play. Strider logged seven innings for just the third time all season.
The series continues on Tuesday with a double header. Game one will be at 1:05 p.m ET with the night cap coming at 6:45 p.m.
