WASHINGTON -- The calendar says its August and, thanks to Justin Uptons tiebreaking homer Monday night, the Atlanta Braves are 13 1/2 games ahead of the Washington Nationals in the NL East. "I thought," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said, "that the division was going to be a lot closer." Upton led off the eighth inning with his 20th homer, and Atlanta extended its winning streak to a season-high 11 games by beating fading Washington 3-2. "You want to step on their necks, especially when weve got this big of a lead," said Freddie Freeman, who drove in Atlantas first two runs with a pair of singles off Stephen Strasburg in the third and fifth. "We can expand it a little bit more against them. I think we set the tone tonight." Reliever David Carpenter (3-0) earned the win by retiring all five batters he faced after Mike Minor went six-plus innings, giving up eight hits and three walks, yet allowing only two runs. With Braves closer Craig Kimbrel getting a night off after pitching in the previous three games, Jordan Walden earned his first save of the season, but not without some difficulty. Walden gave up a leadoff single to Anthony Rendon, who went to second on Denard Spans sacrifice bunt -- although Nationals manager Davey Johnson wanted Span to try to bunt for a hit there. Rendon took third with one out on Waldens wild pitch, giving Washington a terrific opportunity to tie the score. But clutch hitting was the Nationals biggest problem on this night -- and all season, really -- and Scott Hairston popped out to the catcher in foul territory, before pinch-hitter Chad Tracy flied out to left. All part of Washingtons 1-for-10 performance with runners in scoring position. "Came up with nada," Johnson said. The Nationals again failed to provide much run support for Strasburg, who struck out nine in seven innings, allowing two runs and five hits. The last five times hes allowed two earned runs or fewer, Washington lost. In every inning from the second through seventh, the Nationals put the leadoff batter on base, but had little to show for it. The Braves, meanwhile, did a lot with a little. In the third, they followed two infield hits with Freemans blooper on a 3-0 pitch. "Lucky golf swing," Freeman called it. In the fifth, Upton got a two-out single and came home on Freemans single after stealing second, a recurring issue for Strasburg. "He has the same pattern every time," Johnson lamented. "Hes very quick to the plate, but he is locked in his ways." Upton, who went 3 for 4, delivered his 20th homer on a 3-2 changeup from Tyler Clippard (6-2), who replaced Strasburg to begin the eighth. "Not a good pitch," Clippard said. Shaking his head, along with a plastic water bottle in his right hand, Clippard summed up where things stand for the Nationals at the moment, saying: "Weve got to turn this thing around. If its going to happen, its got to happen soon. ... Two months left, and were 13 games back. So weve got to get moving." Washington led the majors with 98 wins in 2012. But Atlantas 12 1/2-game cushion entering Monday was the largest margin through Aug. 4 in any division since 2005, when the Chicago White Sox led the AL Central by 14 games, according to STATS. NOTES: Nationals RF Jayson Werth originally was listed as hitting cleanup but was scratched from the starting lineup during batting practice because of a lingering groin injury. He pinch hit for Strasburg with a man on second in the seventh and struck out. ... Werth was selected as NL Player of the Month for July, after hitting .367 with seven homers and 22 RBIs. He led the league in RBIs and on-base percentage (.450). ... In Game 2 of the series Tuesday, LHP Gio Gonzalez (7-4, 3.57) pitches for Washington, while RHP Julio Teheran (8-5, 3.02) starts for Atlanta. ... Gonzalez was cleared Monday by Major League Baseball after its investigation of players linked in media reports to a clinic accused of distributing performance-enhancing drugs. Gonzalez, third in NL Cy Young Award voting last year, said Monday he has "no lingering sense of animosity" over being connected to the case. ... Atlanta 2B Dan Uggla made a nice diving grab of Ian Desmonds liner in the third. Cheap China Jerseys . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. Cheap NFL Nike Jerseys Online . Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 15 race in an area packed with fans cheering the passing runners. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs. http://www.wholesalechinajerseyscheap.com/ . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. 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New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman cranked up the heat on Monday night, throwing a 105.0 mph fastball to fall 0.1 mph shy of tying his own MLB record.Of the 18 pitches Chapman threw, five were clocked at 104 mph or higher, reaching 105.0 on his sixth pitch to Baltimore Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy.?Hes just such an outlier, Yankees setup man Andrew Miller said of his teammate.The only other time Chapman has thrown 105 came during the 2010 season while he was a member of the Cincinnati Reds. That pitch, delivered to Tony Gwynn Jr.?of the San Diego Padres, was officially clocked at 105.1 mph and stands as the fastest officially recognized pitch thhrown in baseball history.ddddddddddddChapmans last pitch Monday night was 104.7 to Os first baseman Ryan Flaherty and led to a game-ending grounder. That pitch is the third fastest Chapman has thrown in his career, according to ESPN Stats & Information.Despite lighting up the gun, Chapman failed to record a strikeout during his ninth-inning appearance. All was not lost, however, as he did collect his 19th save of the season to close out a 2-1 win for New York.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Chiefs Jerseys China Cheap Nike Chargers Jerseys Cheap Nike Raiders Jerseys Wholesale Cowboys Jerseys China Cheap Nike Giants Jerseys Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys For Sale Wholesale Redskins Jerseys China Cheap Nike Lions Jerseys Packers Jerseys China Cheap Vikings Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Panthers Jerseys Hoodies Cheap Saints Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Nike Buccaneers Jerseys Cardinals Jerseys China Cheap Rams Jerseys Hoodies Cheap Nike 49ers Jerseys Seahawks Jerseys China Bears Jerseys China Cheap Nike Bills Jerseys Ravens Jerseys China Wholesale Falcons Jerseys China ' ' '