Tanner Roark pitched five-hit ball over seven innings, Ian Desmond's two-run homer broke a scoreless tie, and the Nationals celebrated another trip to the playoffs with a 3-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.
The clinching victory was especially sweet coming against the Braves, who finished 10 games ahead of the Nationals in 2013. The roles were reserved this season as Washington steadily pulled away from the feeble Braves down the stretch.
Atlanta lost for the 11th time in 14 games, further damaging its hopes of making a third straight playoff appearance as a wild card.
