ATLANTA -- An eight-game losing streak was way too long for Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez. Thomas Steen Jersey . "It was nice to shake hands," Gonzalez said. "It seems its been an eternity." Justin Upton and Freddie Freeman hit two of Atlantas four homers off Stephen Strasburg, and the Braves snapped their long skid with a 7-6 victory over the Washington Nationals on Friday night. Rain delayed the game by 1 hour, 11 minutes in the middle of the sixth inning. Atlanta, which nearly blew a 7-0 lead, moved within 3 1/2 games of NL East-leading Washington. The Nationals, who had won two straight and four of six, have lost 21 of 30 against the Braves. "After a rough road trip and an off day, its nice to come back and win a ballgame that we needed," Upton said. "Theyre a good ballclub. We split with them the last time we played. Its good to jump out and get the first one." Strasburg (8-10) gave up two more homers than his previous career high. He allowed seven runs, seven hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in five innings, dropping to 1-3 with a 6.99 ERA in seven starts at Turner Field. Strasburg, who fell to 1-8 with a 5.25 ERA in 12 road starts this year, was coming off a dominating home performance against Philadelphia last Sunday, striking out 10, walking one and holding the Phillies scoreless for seven innings. "Just not executing pitches -- thats the bottom line," Strasburg said. "It feels good out of the hand, Im just not hitting the spot well enough. I really dont know how to work on it. Some days Im hitting the spot and some days Im a couple inches up, so Ive got to roll with it, try to miss down instead of miss up." Ervin Santana (11-6) held the Nationals scoreless until the sixth, when Asdrubal Cabrera had an RBI single, and Anthony Rendon hit his 15th homer to make it 7-4. Santana, who allowed four runs, four hits and two walks, struck out four in six innings and won his fourth straight decision. Wilson Ramos fifth homer and Cabreras sacrifice fly cut Atlantas lead to 7-6 off reliever Anthony Varvaro in the seventh. Craig Kimbrel earned his 33rd save in 37 chances by striking out Ramos, retiring Kevin Frandsen on a comebacker, and fanning pinch-hitter Danny Espinosa. The Braves went up 2-0 in the first on Justin Uptons 20th homer, and they made it 6-0 in the second on B.J. Uptons eighth shot and Freemans 16th. Tommy La Stella put Atlanta ahead 7-0 in the fifth with his first career home run. Washingtons Denard Span went 3 for 4 with a run scored and reached base safely for the 34th straight game. TRAINERS ROOM Nationals: RF Jayson Werth was given the night off because of a sore right ankle and right shoulder, but manager Matt Williams said he should be in the lineup for the series next two games. Werths replacement, Steven Souza, hit the wall so hard in an attempt to catch Freemans homer that his glove fell on the warning track. He stayed down on his back for about one minute but remained in the game after a trainer checked on him in right field. Souza lined out in his only at-bat before Frandsen replaced him in the fourth. "Hes OK," Williams said. "He banged the wall pretty good, full speed into the wall. His shoulders hurting, pretty good impact, so well see how he is tomorrow." Braves: SS Andrelton Simmons missed his second straight game with a left ankle sprain, and Gonzalez said the earliest he might return is Monday when the Los Angeles Dodgers visit Turner Field. Derek Stepan Jersey . In a matchup of teams battling head-to-head for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccers Western Conference, the Whitecaps run to the post-season took a hard hit when FC Dallas blew open a tie game with two goals in the final minutes for a 3-1 victory Saturday night. Christian Fischer Jersey .3 seconds remaining, and No. 7 North Carolina held off a resilient No. 25 Virginia team, 54-51, on Saturday. John Henson contributed a double-double with 15 points to go with 11 rebounds for the Tar Heels (25-4, 12-2 ACC), who have won five straight and 10 of 11. http://www.coyotesauthority.com/authentic-anthony-duclair-coyotes-jersey/ . This week, they discuss the NCAAs revenue sharing, Don Zimmer, soccer language and Super Bowl 50.EDMONTON -- It seems Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz is throwing in the towel, on this season at least. In a letter to Oilers fans posted on the NHL teams website, Katz says its very likely the club will miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for an eighth straight season. Katzs statement comes with Edmonton still having more than 30 regular-season games yet to play. However, Edmonton (15-30-6) certainly faces an uphill battle in its quest to return to playoff contention. The Oilers are last in the Western Conference standings, 23 points behind Minnesota (27-19-5) and Vancouver (25-16-9), who are both tied for seventh. "I know this will almost certainly be the eighth consecutive year since we made the playoffs," Katz wrote. " I hate that fact as much as anyone, but the reality is that this is only year four of the rebuild that started when we drafted Taylor Hall. "The good news, if you can call it that, is that other teams that committed to fundamental rebuilds went through the same kind of droughts over the same kind of time frames, or longer. That doesnt make it fun for anyone; it just means we have to stay the course." The Oilers struggles have prompted suggestions the team needs to make a big trade but Katz said the franchise isnt interested in mortgaging its future with a reactionary move. "But I can also tell you that we are not going to sacrifice the future by doing something short-term," he said. "Those days are over and theyre not coming back. "If were going to rebuild, we want to do it right and we only want to do it once." Katz also defended Kevin Lowe, the former Oilers standout defenceman who has steadily risen through the ranks of the organization despite the team not making the playoffs since reaching the Stanley Cup final in 2005-06. In the space of the last 15 years, Lowe has moved from assistant coach to head coach to general manager and is now the clubs president of hockey operations. "Kevin is a big part of our organization, and its not just the Oilers that value his knowledge and perspective," Katz said. "He is consistently chosen, year after year, to play a leadership role with Hockey Canada. "But when it comes down to it, this is Craig MacTavishs team. He is the GM. He makes the calls, and he is accountable for building a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup -- year in and year out for years to come. Thats our vision. We are committed to it -- and were confident that we are on the right track." And Katz asked Oilers fans to remain patient with the hockey club. "Our fans have been incredibly patient and supportive," he said. "At the same time, we know theres a lot of frustration and we are asking you to hang in there while we fight through this and put the next few pieces of the team in place. "Ill tell you this, despite everything, we all wear our Oilers colours with the same pride now as we ever have, and as we will when were back on ttop. Adam Clendening Jersey. We hope youll do the same. " Daryl Katzs message to fans To Oilers Fans Everywhere: We all thought this was going to be the year the Oilers turned the corner. Obviously, that hasnt happened, and it hurts. Its frustrating – for all of us. For our fans, for our players and staff, and for everyone in our community who shares a common bond around a game, a team and a city that we love. I know this will almost certainly be the eighth consecutive year since we made the playoffs. I hate that fact as much as anyone, but the reality is that this is only year four of the rebuild that started when we drafted Taylor Hall. The good news, if you can call it that, is that other teams that committed to fundamental rebuilds went through the same kind of droughts over the same kind of time frames, or longer. That doesnt make it fun for anyone; it just means we have to stay the course. Yes, we hoped and expected to be better this year – theres no question about that. But weve also been more active than any team I can think of in rebuilding our organization from bottom to top by supporting player development in OKC and Bakersfield, revamping our scouting organization, naming a new GM and a new coach, signing free agents like Justin Schultz, Boyd Gordon, Andrew Ference, Anton Belov and Ilya Bryzgalov, and trading for players like David Perron, and now Ben Scrivens and Matt Hendricks. And were not done. But I can also tell you that we are not going to sacrifice the future by doing something short-term. Those days are over and theyre not coming back. If were going to rebuild, we want to do it right and we only want to do it once. I hear a lot from fans about accountability, so lets be clear. We are all accountable. That includes me, Kevin, Craig, Dallas, every player who wears our jersey, and every member of our staff. I know Kevin is the target of a lot of personal attacks right now, and thats really unfortunate. Kevin is a big part of our organization, and its not just the Oilers that value his knowledge and perspective. He is consistently chosen, year after year, to play a leadership role with Hockey Canada. But when it comes down to it, this is Craig MacTavishs team. He is the GM. He makes the calls, and he is accountable for building a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup -- year in and year out for years to come. Thats our vision. We are committed to it -- and were confident that we are on the right track. Our fans have been incredibly patient and supportive. At the same time, we know theres a lot of frustration and we are asking you to hang in there while we fight through this and put the next few pieces of the team in place. Ill tell you this, despite everything, we all wear our Oilers colours with the same pride now as we ever have, and as we will when were back on top. We hope youll do the same. We value our fans, we hear you, and we appreciate your support. 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