The Atlanta Braves were defeated 2-1 by the Washington Nationals on Sunday. The loss came after Atlanta was defeated 2-0 by Washington on Saturday. Atlanta is still having a tremendous overall season, but the ball club has struggled over their past two games. 

The Braves only had one hit on Saturday. On Sunday, they managed to record six hits, but Atlanta still only had one run.

Ozzie Albies had three hits while Austin Riley had two hits. The team struggled to get much going offensively otherwise, though. It is surprising, as the Nationals are not known for their pitching and the Braves have been swinging their bats well this season. 

As far as the team's pitching is concerned, Martin Perez turned in five and 2/3 innings of work on the mound. He only allowed one earned run and five hits in a strong performance. Atlanta's bullpen surrendered just one run as well, but the Braves' offense did not help matters as mentioned. 

The Braves are still the best team in all of MLB. Atlanta now holds a 36-17 overall record so far during the 2026 MLB season.

The Braves are 10 games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals in the National League East standings. They have been a good enough team to still be the best ball club in the sport even after dropping games.

Atlanta will surely be fine. The offense's 282 runs scored is the second most in all of baseball. The Nationals are surprisingly the leader in runs scored with 288.

Washington has performed better than expected. They could compete in the National League Wild Card. Competing in the NL East will still be a challenge, however. There is work to be done.

Atlanta is hoping to get back on track as soon as possible. While they still lead the league, the Braves obviously want to avoid a long losing streak. The last thing they want to do is lose more games and add to their losing streak.

The Braves will now travel to Boston to play the Red Sox. The first game of the series is scheduled for 6:45 PM EST on Tuesday night at Fenway Park. The Red Sox have endured struggles this season, but Boston is capable of earning victories at home. It could be a competitive series as Atlanta looks to begin winning games on a consistent basis once again.