Atlanta stumbled into this series opener off a brutal week, having been outscored badly by a last-place Mets club that hung a 14-3 loss on them just two days earlier. Washington, by contrast, arrived having won 3 of its last 5 and playing with nothing to lose as a fringe wild-card club looking to steal a game in Atlanta.
The Braves scratched across single runs in the fourth and fifth before adding another in the sixth, building just enough cushion before Washington clawed a run back in the seventh. Atlanta won it despite getting outhit 7-4 and committing zero errors to Washington's one — this was a game decided by timely contact, not a barrage.
Holmes came in trusting a stretch where he'd gone 2-1 with a 1.90 ERA over his previous five starts, and Atlanta needed exactly that kind of stability after getting torched by the Mets' lineup all series. Irvin, still working back from a shoulder issue that cost him two months, flashed the swing-and-miss upside that's been the one bright spot in an otherwise rough contract year.
Neither team is fully healthy — Atlanta's still missing Sean Murphy, Ha-Seong Kim and two starters in Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach, while Washington's rotation and bullpen have been gutted all year. Atlanta banks the win and steadies a rough week; Washington heads home having pushed a contender to the final innings without its best stuff on the mound.