Strasburg to start series opener for Washington at Atlanta

Published

Washington Nationals (50-44, second in the NL East) vs. Atlanta Braves (58-39, first in the NL East)

Atlanta; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Nationals: Stephen Strasburg (11-4, 3.46 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 144 strikeouts) Braves: Julio Teheran (5-6, 3.71 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 97 strikeouts)

LINE: Nationals favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 9 1/2 runs

BOTTOM LINE: Washington hits the road to begin a four game series against Atlanta.

The Braves are 22-14 against teams from the NL East. Atlanta's team on-base percentage of .330 is third in the National League. Freddie Freeman leads the lineup with an OBP of .378.

The Nationals are 27-18 in division matchups. Washington's team on-base percentage of .325 is fourth in the National League. Juan Soto leads the lineup with an OBP of .402.

TOP PERFORMERS: Freeman leads the Braves with 112 hits and is batting .297. Josh Donaldson is 10-for-35 with a double, six home runs and 13 RBIs over the last 10 games for Atlanta.

Anthony Rendon leads the Nationals with 64 RBIs and is batting .311. Soto is 11-for-37 with two home runs and seven RBIs over the last 10 games for Washington.

LAST 10 GAMES: Braves: 7-3, .240 batting average, 4.15 ERA, outscored opponents by three runs

Nationals: 7-3, .268 batting average, 2.39 ERA, outscored opponents by 15 runs

Braves Injuries: Jacob Webb: 10-day IL (elbow), Darren O'Day: 60-day IL (forearm), Kevin Gausman: 10-day IL (foot), Max Fried: 10-day IL (blister), Grant Dayton: 10-day IL (toe), Ender Inciarte: 10-day IL (lumbar strain).

Nationals Injuries: Austen Williams: 10-day IL (shoulder), Jonny Venters: 10-day IL (shoulder), Max Scherzer: 10-day IL (back), Justin Miller: 10-day IL (shoulder), Jeremy Hellickson: 60-day IL (shoulder), Koda Glover: 60-day IL (forearm).