Braves even their record as they climb NL East standings 

Ironically enough, Baldwin ended up with one of only two Atlanta home runs hit throughout the entire four-game set with Washington — one of his three hits from Tuesday's game after sitting out on Monday. 

Baldwin had seven total hits in the series and two three-hit games to improve his batting average to .360 in his 27 games played. 

Beyond Baldwin, the clear MVP of the series, Alex Verdugo, Marcell Ozuna, Eli White and Nick Allen drove one run in each on Thursday. 

But Atlanta's pitching shouldn't be overlooked. AJ Smith-Shawver picked up his third win of the season, pitching a shutout through six innings. He gave up only two hits and stuck out six. Smith-Shawver is now 3-2 with a 2.33 ERA, 40 strikeouts and a 1.24 WHIP in seven starts. 

Raisel Iglesias earned the save, rebounding from a blown opportunity in the series opener. He now has seven saves and brought his ERA down to 5.71 amid concerns about his job status. 

With no break, Atlanta will now travel to Boston for a three-game series with the Red Sox that starts on Friday before taking on the Nationals again, but this time in D.C. 

The Braves are now six games back of the rival New York Mets, who sit at the top of the National League East standings.