(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
One at-bat into his Braves career, long-time minor-leaguer Brooks Conrad made lots of fans in Atlanta, as his three-run, pinch-hit blast led the Braves to a 9-8 win over Washington on Friday night.
The Braves had been pitching very well lately, but Kenshin Kawakami's first start since taking a liner off his neck was rather forgettable.
He surrendered runs in each of the first three innings, including the first hit and RBI of Washington starter Ross Detwiler's career.
Kawakami couldn't escape seeing the mammoth home run that Adam Dunn hit in the third inning to give the Nats a 4-3 lead.
The 91-mph fastball caught too much of the plate and landed several rows deep in the upper deck in right center field, probably some 500 feet from home plate.
While Kawakami struggled on the mound, his lineup bailed him out each time. Every time the Nats scored, the Braves came right back.
An RBI single from Matt Diaz in the top of the second inning scored Brian McCann to tie the game at 1-1.
In the third inning, Martin Prado doubled to right and Chipper Jones followed with a double of his own. Jones scored two batters later on a Yunel Escobar RBI single to tie the game at 3-3.
After Dunn's home run in the bottom of the third, Kawakami seemed to settle in a bit. The Braves responded.
The same trio came through again in the top of the fourth for Atlanta. Martin Prado singled, and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Chipper Jones drove in Prado with a single to left.
A Brian McCann single moved Jones to second, and then Escobar doubled over Dunn's head in left to score Jones and give the Braves a 5-4 lead.
Kawakami's ill-advised decision to throw to second on a slow chopper by Cristian Guzman with one out in the fifth was the last straw, as instead of two outs and one on, Kawakami was pulled after the throwing error with runners on second and third.
Boone Logan came on in relief and wound up retiring all five hitters he faced in the fifth and sixth innings. However, Josh Bard's groundout scored Josh Willingham from third to tie the score at 5.
After Yunel Escobar and Casey Kotchman worked walks from Jesus Colome in the top of the seventh, Bobby Cox sent the just recalled Brooks Conrad to pinch-hit with two out and two on.
Conrad, who had signed with the Braves as a minor league free agent after the 2008 season, was promoted after Kelly Johnson was placed on the DL earlier in the day with a wrist injury.
The switch-hitter was selected as a International League All-Star, but only had 19 career at-bats in the majors with Oakland last September.
He made his first plate appearance extremely memorable. He turned around a 95-mph fastball low and over the inside corner down the line and into the Nationals bullpen for an 8-5 lead.
Peter Moylan survived some control issues by escaping the seventh allowing only one run, despite giving up a single to Ryan Zimmerman and walking Adam Dunn to start the inning.
The Braves got the run back in the top of the eighth after a Martin Prado double, a walk to Chipper Jones, a sacrifice bunt by Brian McCann and an intentional walk to Yunel Escobar loaded the bases.
Matt Diaz was uncharacteristically patient facing reliever Julian Tavarez and drew a walk to extend the Braves lead to 9-6.
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