Chiefs' win streak snapped in loss to Braves

The Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, had a three-game winning streak snapped in a 6-3 loss to the Gwinnett Braves on Tuesday night at Coolray Field. The Braves scored six straight runs after an early 2-0 deficit en route to the win.

Jeff Kobernus put Syracuse (54-37) on the board right out of the gate. The Chiefs' center fielder led off the game by smashing a Pedro Beato pitch over the left-field wall for a solo home run. The long ball marked Kobernus' second in two years with the Chiefs.

Josh Johnson helped manufacture the Chiefs' next run in the third inning. He started the frame with a single, stole both second and third base, and scored on a groundout by Kobernus, putting Syracuse ahead 2-0.

Tyler Pastornicky answered for Gwinnett (43-49) in the home half of the frame. After a one-out single by Phil Gosselin off of Taylor Hill, the Braves' second baseman smashed a 1-1 pitch over the left-field wall for a game-tying, two-run home run. Pastornicky's first homer of the season evened the score at two runs apiece.

Gwinnett subsequently took the lead in the fifth. Jose Constanza singled to start the inning, and Gosselin followed with an RBI double off the left-field wall, giving the Braves a 3-2 advantage.

Gosselin and Pastornicky continued their offensive assault in the seventh. With one out and Sean Kazmar on first, the Braves' third baseman smacked an RBI triple down the right-field line against left-handed reliever Zach Jackson, upping the lead to two. Pastornicky followed suit with a run-scoring single into left field for a 5-2 lead before stealing both second and third base. That set him up to score on a single by Joey Terdoslavich.

The Chiefs would bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth after singles by Destin Hood and Jhonatan Solano and an error against Terdoslavich at first base which allowed Johnson to reach. However, left-hander Atahualpa Severino entered the game and induced a double-play groundout from pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs and fly out from Kobernus, ending the game.

Syracuse and Gwinnett will close out their series on Wednesday night at 6:35 p.m. Chiefs right-hander A.J. Cole, scheduled for his third Triple-A start, will oppose Braves right-hander Aaron Northcraft.