ATLANTA (AP) — James Wood's eighth-inning double drove in the go-ahead run and the Washington Nationals rallied to beat the Atlanta Braves 5-4 on Wednesday night and end their seven-game losing streak.
Atlanta led 4-1 after Bryce Elder allowed five hits and one run in six innings. The Braves were let down by their bullpen as Aaron Bummer allowed two unearned runs in the seventh before Enyel De Los Santos (1-2) lost the lead in the eighth.
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Atlanta Braves' Nick Allen (2) reaches to tag Washington Nationals' Josh Bell (19) in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, May 14, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
Atlanta Braves' Stuart Fairchild (17) doubles in the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals Wednesday, May 14, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
Washington Nationals' Dylan Crews (3) celebrates in the dugout after scoring in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves Wednesday, May 14, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
Washington Nationals' José Tena (8) gets a base hit in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves Wednesday, May 14, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
Amed Rosario's single drove in C.J. Abrams to tie the game. Wood added the double to right field off De Los Santos to drive in pinch-runner Nasim Nuñez with the go-ahead run.
Marcell Ozuna doubled in two runs on his bobblehead night for Atlanta.
Washington left-hander Mitchell Parker allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings. Parker left the game after being hit on his left thigh by Austin Riley's line drive.
Kyle Finnegan gave up a leadoff single by Drake Baldwin in the ninth before recording three straight outs for his 13th save.
An apparent home run by Atlanta’s Michael Harris II to right field was ruled a triple following a review which concluded the drive hit the top of the right field wall. Harris scored on Stuart Fairchild’s double.
Three Washington runners were thrown out on the bases. In the first, C.J. Abrams led off with a single and was thrown out trying to score from second base on the relay throw from first baseman Matt Olson to catcher Sean Murphy. Abrams hesitated while rounding third and was easily thrown out at the plate. Josh Bell was thrown out at second base in the fourth while trying to extend a single.
The four-game series ends Thursday as Atlanta RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (2-2, 2.76) will face Washington RHP Trevor Williams (2-3, 5.86).
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Atlanta Braves' Nick Allen (2) reaches to tag Washington Nationals' Josh Bell (19) in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, May 14, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
Atlanta Braves' Stuart Fairchild (17) doubles in the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals Wednesday, May 14, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
Washington Nationals' Dylan Crews (3) celebrates in the dugout after scoring in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves Wednesday, May 14, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
Washington Nationals' José Tena (8) gets a base hit in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves Wednesday, May 14, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is meeting with oil executives at the White House on Friday in hopes of securing $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s ability to fully tap into its expansive reserves of petroleum — a plan that rides on their comfort in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.
Since the U.S. military raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has quickly pivoted to portraying the move as a newfound economic opportunity for the U.S., seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, saying the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan oil and will be controlling sales worldwide indefinitely.
On Friday, U.S. forces seized their fifth tanker over the past month that has been linked to Venezuelan oil. The action reflected the determination of the U.S. to fully control the exporting, refining and production of Venezuelan petroleum, a sign of the Trump administration's plans for ongoing involvement in the sector as it seeks commitments from private companies.
It's all part of a broader push by Trump to keep gasoline prices low. At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.
The meeting, set for 2:30 p.m. EST, will be open to the news media, according to an update to the president's daily schedule. “At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.
Trump is set to meet with executives from 17 oil companies, according to the White House. Among the companies attending are Chevron, which still operates in Venezuela, and ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, which both had oil projects in the country that were lost as part of a 2007 nationalization of private businesses under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez.
The president is meeting with a wide swath of domestic and international companies with interests ranging from construction to the commodity markets. Other companies slated to be at the meeting include Halliburton, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Singapore-based Trafigura, Italy-based Eni and Spain-based Repsol.
Large U.S. oil companies have so far largely refrained from affirming investments in Venezuela as contracts and guarantees need to be in place. Trump has suggested on social media that America would help to backstop any investments.
Venezuela’s oil production has slumped below one million barrels a day. Part of Trump's challenge to turn that around will be to convince oil companies that his administration has a stable relationship with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez, as well as protections for companies entering the market.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are slated to attend the oil executives meeting, according to the White House.
Meanwhile, the United States and Venezuelan governments said Friday they were exploring the possibility of r estoring diplomatic relations between the two countries, and that a delegation from the Trump administration arrived to the South American nation on Friday.
The small team of U.S. diplomats and diplomatic security officials traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement.
Trump also announced on Friday he’d meet with President Gustavo Petro in early February, but called on the Colombian leader to make quick progress on stemming flow of cocaine into the U.S.
Trump, following the ouster of Maduro, had made vague threats to take similar action against Petro. Trump abruptly changed his tone Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart after a friendly phone call in which he invited Petro to visit the White House.
President Donald Trump waves as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
