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Livan Hernandez is done for the day, having come out of the game after 6 1/3 innings and just 77 pitches when Jim Riggleman decided to get left-hander Doug Slaten for Jason Heyward. The second-year slugger walked, but Tyler Clippard finished the inning without allowing a run. It's still 2-0 Braves in the bottom of the seventh, though, and the Nationals will have to come back against the Braves' formidable bullpen.
They had a rally cooking in the sixth when Ryan Zimmerman drew a two-out walk and Adam LaRoche punched a single to left off lefty specialist Eric O'Flaherty, who'd been brought into the game to face the first baseman. But Alex Gonzalez slid to one knee to stop Michael Morse's hard grounder, preventing the Nationals from scoring a run.
O'Flaherty is still in the game for Atlanta; he just gave up a double to Danny Espinosa, who was batting right-handed. It's only the third time today the Nationals have had a runner in scoring position. After Ivan Rodriguez, we'll probably see a pinch hitter as they try to rally.
