"Alex Gonzalez brought the handfuls of dirt. Peter Moylan brought the cups of water. Everybody else just pounded Freddie Freeman into a celebratory submission and Baptism following his first career game-winning hit Sunday.

A win over the Washington Nationals normally wouldn't seem like a cause for such a celebration, but these haven't come easy. The Braves had to scramble and rally twice to beat a Nationals team that generally has been a punching bag since 2005 (459-607) but insists on punching back against Atlanta (the all-time series would've been tied at 59-59 with a different result Sunday).

But if you're the Braves, this game was a good sign. They somehow turned an ugly sequence of events - including an improbable poor start by Jair Jurrjens - into a win. They trailed 6-2 before a five-run fifth, punctuated by Brian McCann's three-run homer. They trailed 8-7 before the .226 hitting Nate McLouth hit his first homer in two months with two outs to tie it.

In the ninth, Freeman, the 21-year-old rookie, hit a two-out single to score Martin Prado to win it 9-8. Then came the dirt-and-water shower. Boys.

"I think it shows our character, and it shows how good our bullpen is," said McCann.

The first series after the All-Star break only reaffirmed the Braves aren't going anywhere. They remained 3½ games behind Philadelphia in the National League East and now head on the road for seven games. But they've got some decisions to makes, and one of those involves Monday's starting pitcher in Colorado: Derek Lowe.

The baseball trade rumor mill has Lowe possibly sitting in the Braves' departure lounge. The latest is a Foxsports.com story that indicates interest from Detroit. When asked if he could comment on the report, general manager Frank Wren smiled and responded, "Yeah. We don't comment on any trade rumors."

That's true, of course. But if Wren had been asked about a rumor that McCann might be traded, the response would've been something along the lines of, "Are you nuts?"

Know this: There is interest in Lowe, and the Braves are listening. But this will be their most difficult decision before the trade deadline (July 31).

Wren hasn't finalized what he is shopping for, but a right-handed hitter and a middle reliever are the team's greatest needs. It's both logical and risky that Lowe might be the bait.

First, the logic. He is the Braves' highest paid player ($15 million per year) but has been only their fourth-best starter this season behind Jurrjens (Sunday not withstanding), Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson. The organization also is pitching-rich again, which makes Lowe expendable."