Nationals 4, Braves 1: Tanner Roark won his fourth consecutive start while Denard Span and Adam LaRoche each collected two hits and an RBI as host Washington finished the four-game series with its second victory in a row.

Roark (7-4) gave up one run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings to help the Nationals extend their National League East advantage over the Braves to 1 ½ games. Anthony Rendon scored twice and Rafael Soriano struck out the side in the ninth for his 17th save as Washington split the four-game set with its division rival.

Atlanta starter Ervin Santana (5-5) surrendered three runs on six hits with nine strikeouts in six innings. Freddie Freeman went 2-for-4 and Justin Upton drove in a run, but Evan Gattis went hitless in three at-bats to end his hitting streak at 20 games.

Washington jumped on Santana for a pair of first-inning runs, LaRoche’s single to center scoring Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman’s sacrifice fly to center plating Jayson Werth. The Nationals made it 3-0 in the fifth when Span doubled home Sandy Leon, and added an insurance run in the eighth when Rendon scored on a wild pitch.

Atlanta scored in the sixth on Upton’s soft single to right-center with one out, but Craig Stammen relieved Roark and retired the next two hitters to strand runners on first and second. Gattis, who came in with the longest active hit streak in the majors, grounded out to short in his final at-bat in the eighth.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Washington starters have allowed two earned runs or fewer in seven of their past 11 starts. … Atlanta 3B Chris Johnson was ejected in the sixth by home plate umpire Mark Carlson for arguing a check-swing third strike called by first base umpire Tim Welke. … Upton’s RBI single in the sixth snapped a 0-for-12 skid; he also was ejected by Carlson for arguing strikes in the ninth.