ATLANTA — Maikel Franco drove in five runs on four hits, including a two-run homer as the Washington Nationals beat Huascar Ynoa and the Atlanta Braves 11-2 on Monday night.
Franco homered to cap a five-run third inning, then added a three-run double off Tucker Davidson when the Nationals scored five more in the eighth to turn the game into a rout.
The Braves (2-3) lost their second in a row. Most fans in the sellout crowd of 42,263 left with their World Series replica rings, a much-anticipated promotion, well before the end of the game.
Josh Rogers (1-0) allowed only one run on two hits in 5 1/3 innings in an impressive fill-in start for Washington. The left-hander was recalled from Triple-A Rochester when scheduled starter Aníbal Sánchez was placed on the 10-day injured list with a stiff neck.
Lane Thomas doubled in two runs off Ynoa (0-1) in the third inning before Franco’s homer over Washington’s bullpen in left field pushed the lead to 5-1.
Ynoa allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks in three innings. Spencer Strider gave up one run in 3 1/3 innings.
Ozzie Albies doubled and scored on Marcell Ozuna’s two-out single to give Atlanta a 1-0 lead in the first. Rogers retired the next 10 batters.
Thomas drove in three runs with two hits, including a run-scoring single in the seventh. Josh Bell drove in two runs with two hits.
Manager Dave Martinez met with his coaches before the game after learning the Nationals might be put up for sale. Martinez said managing principal owner Mark Lerner called him Monday morning to say his family is exploring the possibility of selling the team.
“To say the least, I was shocked,” Martinez said. ”… We’ll see where it takes us but I don’t want any distractions down here. We’re still going to play baseball and play to win.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals: Martinez said Sánchez, 38, was “still moving very gingerly but he does say he feels better.” The move to place Sánchez on IL with a cervical nerve impingement in his neck was retroactive to Friday. “We want to make sure he’s healthy before he even attempts to start throwing,” Martinez said.
Braves: C Manny Piña (sore left wrist) was held without a hit in his first start of the season. Manager Brian Snitker said he plans for Piña “to do a lot of catching” as the top backup to Travis d’Arnaud.
UP NEXT
Nationals: LHP Patrick Corbin (0-1, 4.50) will start Tuesday night’s second game of the series after he lasted only four innings, allowing five hits and two runs, in a 5-1 loss to the New York Mets to open the season. He is 6-7 with a 3.48 ERA in 17 career games, including 15 starts, against Atlanta.
Braves: Snitker was waiting until after the game to announce the starter. LHP Tucker Davidson was a candidate before he was gave up five runs in 2 2/3 innings in relief behind Ynoa and Strider.
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