WASHINGTON (AP) — Yohandy Morales homered in his first major league game and Jared Simpson earned the win in relief in his own debut, helping the Washington Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 9-5 on Tuesday night.
The Nationals called up Morales and Simpson before the game, with major league rosters expanding from 26 to 28. After striking out his first time up, Morales hit a solo shot in the third inning. Simpson (1-0) entered in the fifth with Washington up 5-2 and induced a double play and a flyout after inheriting a first-and-second, nobody-out situation.
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Washington Nationals' Yohandy Morales (28) celebrates his home run with Brady House, right, during the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. gets ready before a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Atlanta Braves pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals' Yohandy Morales, right, celebrates his home run with Abimelec Ortiz (81) during the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals' Yohandy Morales hits a home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Then he worked two more perfect innings.
The 24-year-old Morales, who hit 25 homers for Triple-A Rochester this year, also singled and doubled in an impressive debut.
AJ Smith-Shawver (0-1) allowed five runs and six hits in four innings. Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II homered for the Braves, whose lead over Philadelphia atop the NL East dropped to 3 1/2 games, with the Phillies playing at Arizona later Tuesday.
Albies homered for the Braves in the second, but Washington answered with four runs in the bottom half. CJ Abrams hit a two-run single with two outs, and Brady House added a two-run double.
Drake Baldwin doubled home a run in the third for Atlanta. Morales went deep leading off the bottom half.
Morales doubled to lead off the seventh, when the Nationals added two more runs. Reliever Brent Suter threw wildly to first on a pickoff attempt for an error, allowing a run to score from third. Then Jacob Young hit an RBI single to make it 8-2.
The 26-year-old Simpson had a 2.30 ERA in 58 2/3 innings at Double-A and Triple-A this year. He faced eight batters and got nine outs, striking out three.
The Braves called up veteran infielder Kyle Farmer and 25-year-old right-hander Blake Burkhalter. Burkhalter made his big league debut in the sixth, allowing one run.
Grant Holmes (9-5, 3.71 ERA) pitches for the Braves on Wednesday against the Nationals' Brad Lord (5-2, 3.75).
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Washington Nationals' Yohandy Morales (28) celebrates his home run with Brady House, right, during the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. gets ready before a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Atlanta Braves pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals' Yohandy Morales, right, celebrates his home run with Abimelec Ortiz (81) during the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals' Yohandy Morales hits a home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
PORT ARTHUR, Texas (AP) — Tropical Storm Edouard unleashed heavy rain and strong winds on southeastern Texas Tuesday, knocking out power to thousands, toppling trees and flooding roads.
The storm had made landfall in the small coastal community of Johnson Bayou, Louisiana, arriving with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph), the National Hurricane Center reported. It weakened slightly as its center moved over southeastern Texas on Tuesday evening. In the meantime, several storms were brewing in the Pacific Ocean, including Lowell, which reached hurricane strength earlier in the day.
The hurricane center said Edouard was expected to dump 3 to 7 inches (8 to 17 centimeters) of rain with up to 12 inches (30 centimeters). Southwestern Louisiana was expected to see lesser amounts.
“That rainfall could produce some flash flooding and river flooding,” said Brad Reinhart, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center.
As the center of the storm passed over Beaumont, Texas, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Houston, the city's offices were shuttered and the Texas Office of Emergency Management warned residents to stay off the road.
Throughout the city were downed trees blocking roads, traffic signals that weren't working and flooded underpasses, Beaumont Police said in a post on social media.
About 42,000 utility customers were without electricity in Jefferson County, which includes Beaumont, according to poweroutage.com.
Mike Gilbert decided ahead of the storm to close his surf shop on Texas' Crystal Beach because he didn't want to risk his employees having a difficult time getting home. But, he said, it had ended up just being gray skies and drizzly rain there Tuesday as Edouard made landfall about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northeast of his shop.
“You literally never know," Gilbert said. “It could have all of a sudden moved over 50 miles and picked up 20 mph in wind and it could have been a whole different story.”
In Cameron, Louisiana, the winds had picked up by Tuesday morning and rain was coming through on and off, said Connor Salvador, who owns an RV park there near the coast. He said while there could be a “little bit” of flooding if they get a lot of rain, he wasn't too worried about Edouard.
“We’re pretty used to all these types of storms that come through,” he said.
Forecasters said newly formed Hurricane Lowell in the Pacific Ocean was expected to remain several hundred miles away from Hawaii for the next several days at least, but swells from the hurricane were likely to impact parts of the islands beginning Wednesday.
“This hurricane is likely to increase the surf and make for dangerous beach conditions and marine conditions for any boaters near the Hawaiian islands over the next few days,” said Andrew Hagan, a forecaster with the National Hurricane Center.
Tropical Storm Marie formed in the Pacific Ocean early Tuesday well offshore of southwest Mexico, the center said. Forecasters said it was expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday night, and swells generated by the storm were expected to affect parts of the coast in southwestern Mexico and the Baja California peninsula over the next few days.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, Karina became a hurricane Sunday, fueled by warm waters far from any shore. It strengthened Monday into a powerful Category 4 storm but forecasters said Tuesday that it was expected to weaken.
Meanwhile, the remnants of Tropical Storm Dolly brought rain and thunderstorms to parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the Turks & Caicos, and the Bahamas, the hurricane center said.
Stengle reported from Dallas. Associated Press journalists Julie Walker in New York and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.
Fishermen cast their lines in surf stirred up by Tropical Storm Edouard in Galveston, Texas, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Surfers try to catch a wave in surf stirred up by Tropical Storm Edouard in Galveston, Texas, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Motorists drive by Texas Department of Transportation signs on I-610 as Tropical Storm Edouard approaches in Houston, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Dark clouds hand low over the horizon as Tropical Storm Edouard makes its way towards landfall in Galveston, Texas, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Motorists drive by Texas Department of Transportation signs on I-610 as Tropical Storm Edouard approaches in Houston, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)
This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Edouard over the Gulf of Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration taken shows Tropical Storm Edouard heading toward the Gulf Coast, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
This satellite image released by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Marie in the North Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, Sept.1, 2026 . (NOAA via AP)
This satellite image released by NOAA shows Hurricane Karina strengthening off the southern tip of Baja California on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
This satellite image released by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Lowell over the Pacific Ocean, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
This satellite image released by NOAA shows Potential Tropical Cyclone Five forming over the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
