WASHINGTON — Mired in an offensive funk, the last pitcher the Atlanta Braves wanted to see was Washington's Doug Fister. In his best outing since mid August, Fister pitched seven shutout innings on Monday night, and the Braves' late rally fell short in a 2-1 loss to the Nationals in the opener of a three-game series between the NL East's top two clubs. "He's a guy that, it sinks and it cuts, and every once in a while he throws an old-fashioned curveball at you," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said of Fister (13-6, 2.53 ERA).