The Nationals gave Atlanta's Kenshin Kawakami his first major league win on the mound.
Kawakami, the first Japanese-born player ever on the roster for the Braves, pitched six effective innings Saturday night. That led Atlanta to a 5-3 win over the Nationals.
The Nationals are winless for the season with an 0-5 record.
Kawakami allowed three runs and four hits, walked four and struck out eight.
The 33-year-old right-hander is a "rookie" who spent 11 years in the Japanese Central League.
Kelly Johnson went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs one night after he had the game-winning hit in the 10th inning of a 6-5 win over the Nationals. Chipper Jones and Yunel Escobar had run-scoring singles for Atlanta.
Kawakami kept the Nationals off balance with a fastball in the low 90s, a slider in the mid-80s and a changeup at 67-68 mph.
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Ryan Zimmerman had a two-run homer for the Nationals.
But Kawakami didn't allow a hit after Zimmerman's homer. He threw 89 pitches, 54 for strikes.
