WASHINGTON -- The Nationals were looking for a way to head into the All-Star break on a high note. They had dropped nine straight and won just one game the entire month of July, tumbling to the bottom of the National League standings.

The obstacles were stacked against them to get it done in the first-half finale: They were going with a bullpen game amid a shorthanded starting rotation against a heavy-hitting Braves squad they had not defeated since April 13.

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Yet on a day when a multiple-innings reliever was tabbed to start and the top third of the order went quiet for most of the afternoon, the Nationals earned their first ‘W’ since July 6 with a 7-3 win over the Braves at Nationals Park.

“I’m happy to go on the break with a big win,” manager Dave Martinez said in his office, where a celebratory playlist in the clubhouse could be heard in the background. “It’s awesome to see those guys smiling and playing music and jumping up and down. So let’s make it a habit.”

While Juan Soto hammered his 20th home run of the season in the eighth inning, this win was powered by a cast of contributors.

Starting pitching
Right-hander Erasmo Ramírez provided three scoreless innings with one hit, no walks and three strikeouts across 39 pitches (28 strikes). His one other start of the season coincidentally had come against the Braves on June 13, when Josiah Gray was scratched after a lengthy rain delay. Sunday’s outing was a notable turnaround from Ramírez’s three-inning, six-run outing last month.

“From the first pitch to the last pitch you’re going to throw, just make it count,” Ramírez said. “Today was a good execution, good communication with the catcher [Keibert Ruiz]. We had good defense, good pitching and we got the win. At the end, it’s just a good job for everybody, not just me.”

Bullpen
After Jordan Weems allowed a trio of runs in 1/3 of an inning, Steve Cishek, Carl Edwards Jr., Andres Machado and Kyle Finnegan combined for 5 2/3 scoreless frames with six strikeouts. Edwards notably struck out the side in the sixth and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh. The righty has not given up a run since July 3, and he has tallied eight strikeouts in his last six innings.

“I can’t say enough about what [Edwards] has done for us all year long, and Cishek and Machado,” Martinez said. “Machado’s done really well for us, especially as of late. Then handing the ball off to Finnegan up four runs instead of one or tied was really, really nice. Our bullpen has been a bright spot so far this year. We want to continue to get them going and keep them the way they are right now.”

Bottom-of-the-order offense
Seventh, eighth and ninth hitters Maikel Franco, Ehire Adrianza and Victor Robles collectively went 4-for-9 with three runs and six RBIs. Adrianza jump-started a four-run second inning with a two-strike, two-RBI single, and Robles followed with a homer to plate Adrianza. It was Robles’ second home run of the season and his first since May 28 against the Rockies.

“He’s had some better swings, and the ball’s coming off his bat now,” Martinez said of Robles. “He’s been working really hard with [hitting coach] Darnell [Coles] on trying to hit the ball out front, stay back, and you could see the results. It was nice for him to come through right there.”

Following the All-Star break (during which Soto and Martinez will be in Los Angeles representing Washington), the Nationals will open the second half of the season on Friday with a three-game series in Arizona.

“That was a lot of fun,” said Martinez. “Hopefully, they take something out of this game today going forward and after the break, we come back and continue the momentum. That’s the biggest thing.”