Nationals Showing Life
The Washington Nationals are one of the lightest-hitting teams in baseball, but the Atlanta Braves pitching staff has been making many lineups look good in recent weeks.
In the midst of one of their best runs at the plate this season, the Nationals look to continue their success against the Braves and extend their season-best winning streak to six when the teams conclude a three-game set Sunday.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Atlanta -130 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 8.5 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 58% of bets for this game have been placed on Atlanta -130 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
In what has been another lost season, Washington (51-85) ranks last in the majors in runs scored (520) and is batting a dismal .246. But the Nationals’ lineup has led one of the team’s best stretches of the season.
Washington is batting .336 while averaging 8.0 runs over its last four games, giving it a chance to win six straight for the first time since July 31-Aug. 5, 2007.
"They’ve been playing with a lot of confidence of late," Nationals manager Manny Acta said. "Right now, they’re just flying high. They think they can come back and our offense is clicking."
After a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers, it’s no surprise that the Nationals have been able to keep their momentum going in this series. Washington has won nine of 13 games versus Atlanta (59-77) this season, and is batting .349 while averaging 9.0 runs during the teams’ last five meetings.
And the Braves have been particularly vulnerable in recent weeks, posting a 6.88 ERA and a .330 opponents batting average en route to losing 15 of their last 19 games.
The Nationals, though, needed extra innings to extend their run, with Elijah Dukes walking with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning in a 9-8 win Saturday night.
Washington had given up two runs or less in three of its previous four games. The Nationals will now hand the ball to Collin Balester (3-6, 4.70 ERA), who snapped a personal three-game losing streak in his last start.
The rookie right-hander allowed one run and five hits in five innings as Washington beat the Dodgers 2-1 on Tuesday night.
This will be Balester’s first appearance against Atlanta.
The Braves will counter with Jair Jurrjens (11-9, 3.56), who has posted an 11.25 ERA over his last two starts. The right-hander gave up six runs and six hits in three innings as Atlanta beat Florida 10-9 on Tuesday night.
Jurrjens is 0-1 with a 4.05 ERA in two career starts versus the Nationals.
With Jurrjens struggling, Atlanta might need a big game at the plate to have a chance to avoid a sweep.
Chipper Jones, hoping his ailing right elbow won’t stop him from winning his first batting title, hit his 20th home run Saturday. He joins Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews as the only players in history to start their careers with 14 seasons of at least 20 home runs.
Jones, though, fell behind St. Louis’ Albert Pujols in the race for the batting title. Pujols went 4-for-4 versus Houston on Saturday night to raise his average to .362, while Jones, who has missed 24 games due to injuries, is now batting .359.
"It’s a motivational tool," Jones said. "You’re expected to go out and entertain and represent your team. A lot of guys in here are trying to find something to motivate themselves. For me, it’s easy."
Did you like this article? Subscribe to our Baseball news feed for the fastest updates delivered right to you – Click here to Subscribe