ATLANTA (Interstat) — Chris Sale earned his first win against Washington, Ronald Acuña Jr. homered and the Atlanta Braves extended their winning streak to nine games with an 11-5 victory over the Nationals on Monday night.

A crowd of 35,248 at Truist Park watched the Braves continue their late-season surge, posting their longest win streak since 2023. Despite the final margin, the game was a back-and-forth affair early on.

Washington’s Nasim Nuñez jolted the Braves immediately, launching a solo home run to right field on the game’s fourth pitch from Sale. The Nationals’ early lead was short-lived, as Acuña answered in the bottom of the first with a solo shot of his own to left-center field, his 19th of the season.

Atlanta took control with a five-run third inning, sending 12 batters to the plate and capitalizing on wildness from Washington starter MacKenzie Gore. After a walk to Acuña and a single by Ozzie Albies, Gore loaded the bases by walking Ha-Seong Kim. Drake Baldwin then tied the game with a two-run single. Marcell Ozuna followed with an RBI single to give Atlanta the lead, and Michael Harris II capped the inning with another run-scoring single. A bases-loaded walk to Acuña later in the frame forced in the fifth run of the inning, staking the Braves to a 7-2 advantage.

Washington chipped away. Dylan Crews hit a solo homer in the fourth inning, and the Nationals mounted a rally in the fifth. With the bases loaded and two outs, Andrés Chaparro cleared them with a three-run single to left field, pulling Washington within three runs at 8-5 and chasing Sale from the game.

Sale improved to 6-5 despite allowing five runs on three hits over five innings, walking four and striking out six. It was just the second time this season he has allowed five earned runs. Gore took the loss, falling to 5-15 after being charged with seven runs on seven hits in 2 1/3 innings.

The Braves’ bullpen sealed the win, with José Suarez delivering three scoreless innings for his first save of the season. Suarez allowed five hits and struck out two. Hunter Stratton added a scoreless inning of relief.

Atlanta put the game out of reach with three runs in the sixth inning. A sacrifice fly by Nacho Alvarez Jr. scored one run, and RBI singles from Jurickson Profar and Nick Allen provided the final margin.

Harris II led the Braves’ 14-hit attack, going 3 for 5 with three RBIs. Acuña reached base four times via a home run, two walks and a hit-by-pitch, driving in two runs. For the Nationals, Nuñez had a strong night, going 3 for 4 with a home run, while Chaparro drove in three runs.

The Braves improved to 74-83 with the victory, while the Nationals fell to 64-93. The two teams continue their three-game series on Tuesday.