Braves 7 Nationals 6 (10)

Published May 6, 2010 at 8:50 a.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) Chipper Jones hopes the Braves learn an important lesson from their longest road losing streak in almost 14 seasons.

Matt Diaz hit a tiebreaking single in the 10th inning Wednesday night, helping the Braves snap an eight-game road skid with a 7-6 victory over the Washington Nationals.

``You're going to have to win games in hostile environments,'' Jones said.

Troy Glaus started the decisive rally in the 10th with a leadoff single off Matt Capps (0-1). Melky Cabrera's sacrifice sent pinch-runner Brandon Hicks to second before Diaz, who was hitting .185, looped an opposite-field single to short right.

Hicks scored easily when Roger Bernadina double-clutched and his throw home was late.

``It was a battle, and to win a battle on the road is big,'' Diaz said. ``It's no secret we were struggling a little on the road. That's an understatement.''

Braves manager Bobby Cox was rewarded for sticking with the struggling Diaz.

``I had a hunch Matty's going to get hot,'' Cox said. ``He's a hitting machine. He just hasn't got it going, but he will.''

Bernadina blamed his hesitation on momentary indecision.

``I should have gone to second,'' he said. ``That ball wasn't hit right at me, so I had no chance to throw (Hicks) out.''

Kris Medlen (1-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the win. Billy Wagner got three outs for his third save in four tries after allowing a leadoff single to Cristian Guzman.

Atlanta's road losing streak was its longest since a 10-game skid from Aug. 31-Sept. 14, 1996.

``We haven't been out there shaking hands much, but we have won four out of five,'' Cox said.

Braves right fielder Jason Heyward left the game in the second inning with a right groin strain and is day to day. Heyward hurt himself backing up center fielder Nate McLouth on Ryan Zimmerman's sacrifice fly in the first.

``I don't know what I did. I couldn't tell you, to be honest,'' Heyward said. ``When I got back to my position, it felt sore.''

The Nationals tied it at 6 against Takashi Saito in the eighth. Ian Desmond reached on an error, Bernadina doubled over Diaz's head in right and pinch-hitter Josh Willingham had a two-run single to left.

Washington took a 1-0 lead in the first when Nyjer Morgan hit a ground-rule double to left-center, moved to third on Adam Kennedy's bunt and scored on Zimmerman's fly.

Omar Infante's two-run shot put the Braves ahead in the second.

Desmond's homer to left tied it in the bottom half. Bernadina followed with a single, advanced to second on Luis Atilano's sacrifice and scored when Morgan looped an RBI double to left for a 3-2 lead.

In the third, Jones had an RBI single to right, and Glaus' run-scoring groundout snapped the tie in the fifth.

The lead was short-lived. Ivan Rodriguez had a run-scoring single to make it 4-all.

Atlanta went ahead in the sixth, knocking Atilano from the game. Diaz led off with a double and Infante walked before McLouth hit a tiebreaking double to right off reliever Sean Burnett. Prado's groundout then scored Infante for a 6-4 lead.

Atilano, a former Atlanta farmhand making his third major league start, yielded seven hits and six runs in 5 1-3 innings. He walked five and struck out four and said he was a little nervous about facing his former club.

``I was a little pumped up. Obviously, I want to beat them,'' said Atilano, who was acquired from Atlanta for Daryle Ward in a trade Aug. 31, 2006. ``But things happen.''

Braves starter Tommy Hanson allowed four runs on nine hits in six innings.

NOTES: The Braves placed RHP Jair Jurrjens on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring injury, purchased the contract of RHP Craig Kimbrel from Triple-A Gwinnett and announced that Medlen would start Saturday at Philadelphia in Jurrjens' place...Washington still hasn't settled on a substitute for LHP John Lannan, who will miss Saturday's home start against Florida after receiving a cortisone injection in his sore left elbow...Nationals RHP Jason Marquis threw off a mound Wednesday, the first step in his return from inflammation in his right elbow caused by bone chips. He was placed on the 15-day DL on April 21...Cox said he may give McCann, who is in a 6 for 31 slump, a day off in Thursday's series finale.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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