Braves 3, Nationals 1: Christian Bethancourt drove in two runs as host Atlanta finally provided Alex Wood with run support and snapped a five-game losing streak.

The Braves, who scored two runs or fewer in four of Wood’s past five starts, tallied three times in the sixth when Bethancourt singled with the bases loaded and three runners came home on the play. Wood (11-10) struck out eight while allowing one run on five hits with one walk in six-plus innings, Craig Kimbrel earned his 44th save and Phil Gosselin finished 3-for-4 as Atlanta remained 5 1/2 games behind Pittsburgh for the final National League wild-card spot.

Steven Souza Jr. hit his first major-league homer for the Nationals, who rested most of their starters one night after clinching the NL East title. Reliever Ross Detwiler (2-3) allowed the three runs in the sixth after fill-in starter Blake Treinen gave up three hits in five shutout innings.

Souza, who came into the game 1-for-15 in his rookie season, hammered a 1-1 pitch from Wood well over the center-field fence to break a scoreless tie with one out in the fifth. Gosselin and Ramiro Pena led off the sixth with singles and after Detwiler hit Jason Heyward on the thumb with a pitch to load the bases with two outs, Bethancourt singled off second baseman Jeff Kobernus’ glove to plate two runs and Heyward never stopped running from first to beat Nate Schierholtz’s throw home.

Wood gave up back-to-back singles to Tyler Moore and Schierholtz in the seventh to end his night, but David Carpenter retired the next three hitters to end the threat. Jordan Walden struck out two in a perfect eighth and Kimbrel – pitching for the first time since Sept. 10 – pitched a perfect ninth.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Washington scratched scheduled starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez in order to give the left-hander an extra day of rest. Gonzalez is now scheduled to pitch Thursday’s series opener at Miami. … Atlanta SS Andrelton Simmons left the game with an ankle injury after flying out to center to end the third, and Joey Terdoslavich pinch-hit for Heyward in the eighth. … Washington 3B Ryan Zimmerman played five innings in a simulated game Wednesday as he recovers from a torn right hamstring.