ATLANTA -- When he was pitching in the minor leagues earlier this month, Josh Collmenter didnt envision himself beating the Washington Nationals.He stayed focused, though, and got another chance in the major leagues with the NL-worst Atlanta Braves, who backed him up with timely hitting.Nick Markakis and Anthony Recker each drove in two runs, Collmenter won as an emergency starter and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 7-3 on Saturday.Aside from the two balls that left the yard, I feel good about most of my stuff, Collmenter said.Washington began the day needing a combination of six Nationals victories or six New York Mets losses to clinch its third NL East title in five years.Acquired Wednesday from the Chicago Cubs, Collmenter (2-0) struck out eight in five innings and allowed two runs, four hits and three walks. He was Arizonas opening-day starter last year and was making his first big league start since July 7, 2015 for Arizona.Collmenter had four starts at Triple-A Iowa before the trade. Atlanta needed a starter because Mike Foltynewicz has a bruised left calf and Williams Perez has an elbow impingement.Washington rookie Trea Turner hit a pair of solo home runs, is 7 for 9 in the series and has six homers, 16 RBI, 19 runs and seven steals in 12 games against Atlanta this year.The Nationals wasted a chance to rattle Collmenter in the second when he walked three of the first four batters but struck out Turner to escape the jam. Collmenter also stranded a runner at third in the third.I was able to retire him and, for the most part, kept them stringing some hits together and limit the walks, Collmenter said.Atlanta scored three runs in the fifth for a 6-2 lead against Gio Gonzalez (11-10). Markakis RBI single chased Gonzalez, Trevor Gott gave up Reckers RBI single and Gordon Beckhams bases-loaded walk.The Braves have won just 12 of the last 48 games in the series and their 29 losses to Washington since the start of 2015 are Atlantas most against one opponent in a two-year span.Maybe the law of averages were on their side to win one today, Nationals manager Dusty Baker said.Gonzalez allowed six runs and nine hits, dropping to 0-1 with a 7.11 ERA in four starts against Atlanta this season.I got beat by a lot of singles, Gonzalez said. Some were by just inches. It was one of those unfortunate things. You want to show you can pitch in this rotation, and it was the way todays game went.ROTATION TURNSTILEAtlanta has used a big-league high 16 starters, a team record. The 1975 Braves used 15.HITTING MACHINEWashington 2B Daniel Murphy hit his NL-leading 47th double in the third to tie Ryan Zimmermans franchise record in 2006. Murphy stayed in the game after a hard head-first slide into the second base in the third.STREAKINGFreeman has a 21-game hitting streak and has reached safely in 37 straight games. Both are career highs and the longest active streaks in the majors. ... Braves CF Ender Inciarte went 3 for 4 and has 87 hits, most in the majors, since the All-Star break.BACK ON THE HILLBraves RHP Jose Ramirez threw an eight-pitch eighth. Ramirez has appealed a three-game suspension handed imposed for throwing at the head of Miami pitcher Jose Fernandez.UP NEXTJoe Ross (7-4) is to start Sunday for the Nationals and RHP Matt Wisler (6-12) for the Braves. Ross is on the 60-day DL and has been sidelined since July 2 with shoulder inflammation. Wisler is 2/3 with a 5.19 ERA in five career starts and one relief appearance against Washington.Cheap NHL Jerseys .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. 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"Martyn is a highly-respected coach with experience at the top levels in England," said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson.MIAMI -- Ordinarily, Jose Fernandez against Clayton Kershaw would figure to be quite a pitchers duel.Fernandez lived up to his end of the bargain.The Miami ace tied a career high with 14 strikeouts, overshadowing Kershaws return from injury and leading the Marlins to a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.Fernandez (14-8) gave up three hits and three walks in seven shutout innings. It was the fifth time hes struck out 14 in a game, and third this season.It seems like thats all I do lately. I cant pass 14, Fernandez said.Thats more than enough for the Marlins.Fernandez was simply dominant, improving to 4-0 all-time against the Dodgers and 28-2 at Marlins Park. There have been 12 games in the majors this season when a pitcher has struck out 14 or more, and no one else has more than one.His 102nd and last pitch -- which fanned Yasiel Puig -- hit 98 mph.He used his changeup more tonight and pitched inside more, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. He was good.Fernandez is up to 238 strikeouts this year, 29 more than any Marlins pitcher has ever compiled in a season.J.T. Realmuto homered and Christian Yelich had two hits for Miami, which improved to 5-0 against the NL West leaders this season. Yasmani Grandal hit his 25th homer in the ninth for the Dodgers, who tried to rally against Fernando Rodney before A.J. Ramos came in and closed it out for his career-best 33rd save -- his first in more than a month.Kershaw (11-3) had not started for the Dodgers since June 26 because of a mild disk herniation in his back. He threw 66 pitches, 46 for strikes, while allowing two runs and five hits over three innings.The three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL MVP struck out five, did not walk a batter and now has 150 strikeouts against nine free passes in 2016.Its not spring training for anybody else so its not for me, either, Kershaw said. Weve got to beat the Giants. Weve got to win this division.dddddddddddd Im thankful for what the guys did while I was gone. They played unbelievable. Theyre still playing unbelievable. I want to be a part of that. I want to help that. Tonight I didnt really help. So I need to do that, pretty soon.Kershaw wasnt thrilled with his outing, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was.For Clayton to be back on the mound, I think thats a win for us, Roberts said. Fernandez was good, but the No. 1 thing was Clayton got out of this feeling pretty well. We didnt expect him to be in midseason form anyway.THE DONMattingly is the third skipper in the last half-century to start 5-0 against the Dodgers -- the team he managed from 2011-15. He joined Jack McKeon (with the Padres in 1988) and Sparky Anderson (with the Reds in 1970).CELEBRATING PERFECTIONIt was the 51st anniversary of the only Dodgers perfect game, Sandy Koufaxs 1-0 gem against the Chicago Cubs. Dennis Martinez -- who pitched a perfect game for Montreal at Dodger Stadium in 1991 -- threw out one of Fridays ceremonial first pitches.UMPIRE HURTPlate umpire Brian Knight left the game in the fifth inning after getting struck in the mask and neck area by a ball that first hit Miamis Ichiro Suzuki and deflected into Knight.TRAINERS ROOMDodgers: OF Andre Ethier (broken right leg) could make his season debut this weekend. ... To make room for Kershaw when he was activated from the disabled list, Los Angeles put RHP Carlos Frias on the 60-day DL -- making him the 28th Dodgers player on the DL this season.Marlins: OF Giancarlo Stanton, limited to pinch-hitting duty, struck out with the bases loaded to end the fifth.UP NEXTThe series continues Saturday with LHP Rich Hill (11-3, 1.94 ERA; 8-0 in his last 10 starts) going for the Dodgers against RHP Tom Koehler (9-10, 3.87). ' ' '