The Atlanta Braves (11-15, 3-11 away) play in the nation’s capital Wednesday night against the Washington Nationals (14-12, 8-6 home). It is the second of a three-game series. Washington won the first game 6-3 on Tuesday night, putting an end to Atlanta’s three-game winning streak.
The MLB lines list the Braves at -165 and the Nationals at +145 with an over/under of 8.
Tuesday night’s loss was yet another display of the Atlanta Braves’ poor play on the road. They have now lost their last eight consecutive road games and are 3-11 overall away from Atlanta. The once proud franchise that won 11 consecutive NL East crowns from 1995 to 2005 (14 consecutive division titles overall) is currently in last place in the division.
A bright spot for the Braves has been the strong play of rookie Jason Heyward. The right fielder is off to a strong start, batting .289 with a 1.038 OPS (sixth in the NL) and 8 home runs (tied for fourth). He is 9 for 16 with four homers in his last five games.
The Washington Nationals are off to their best start since they first moved from Montreal in 2005. They are just a game out of first place in the NL East. They currently own a five game winning streak over the Braves. They have the game’s top closer in Matt Capps, who leads the majors with 11 saves.
Atlanta will try to avoid losing their ninth consecutive road game by giving the ball to Tommy Hanson (2-2, 2.17 ERA). The right hander has had good luck against the Nationals throughout his career, going 2-0 with a 2.28 ERA in four career starts against them. He has made it past the seventh inning in each start.
Washington counters with Luis Atilano (2-0, 2.25 ERA). It is his third major league start after spending eight years in the minor leagues. He won in each of his first two starts, lasting six innings in both and giving up a combined three runs and zero home runs in the process.
