Atlanta Braves' Rally Falls Short, Drop Series Opener to Josh Johnson, Marlins

Maybe it's the Washington Nationals effect, maybe it isn't.

The Atlanta Braves had won seven straight games prior to their home series against the San Francisco Giants, their opponent who preceded the Nationals. 

They promptly lost two out of three before their bittersweet series in D.C.  It was sweet because they took the first two games of the series against Washington, bitter because they were unable to get one of the last two in order to win the series.

Given the struggles against Washington, a split is progress.  In recent years it hasn't mattered how good or bad they are, the Nationals give them fits.

The Nationals hangover carried over into last night.  In their first game after the bittersweet series, the Braves experienced more flashbacks.

Josh Johnson was dominant, holding the Braves to one hit in six scoreless innings while striking out nine.

Mike Minor was solid, but his two early runs allowed were more than enough for Johnson.  Chipper Jones' RBI single ignited a rally that Laz Diaz had already began choking the life out of when he called Jason Heyward out at first on a double play that wasn't.

It's nice to know that Bud Selig and MLB are still happy with the limited amount of instant replay that exists in the game so missed calls like this and ones much worse than this will continue to occur.

Freddie Freeman popped out to shallow center for the final out of a tough 2-1 loss.

The New York Mets continued to disappoint their fanbase as well as Atlanta's by losing to Washington 8-2 in 10 innings.  The Nationals' lead is again up to four-and-a-half games.

Atlanta looks to turn things around and even the series tonight.  Tim Hudson (8-4 3.70 ERA) squares off against Mark Buehrle (9-9 3.29 ERA).  First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.