The Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves are expected to battle once again for the NL East crown this season. The Nationals have grabbed the past two titles from the Braves and now the two franchises are getting the division race started early with half of each team's 12 games coming against one another. Are the two teams rivals? It certainly did not start that way, but recent swings of success have these two teams hating one another.
The Nationals looked poised for the playoffs last season after leading the majors in wins in 2012, but instead they finished 10 games behind Atlanta as the Braves made their way to the postseason instead. Last season, Washington could not escape a poor start, but that does not seem to be an issue this season after they swept the New York Mets to begin the year.
Now, Ryan Zimmermann comes to the mound after winning 19 games last season. The pitcher came down with the flu and missed his starter on Thursday, causing some shifting in the rotation. Injuries are furthering the shifting after Doug Fister was placed on the disabled list for a strained muscle in his back. He will join catcher Wilson Ramos who had surgery on a broken left hand.
The Braves are was not slow either after they took two from the Milwaukee Brewers following an Opening Day loss. Atlanta is moving past injuries of their own after Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy were ruled out for the remainder of the year, Mike Minor and Gavin Floyd were placed on the disabled list and Ervin Santana is in the minors. As a result, youngster David Hale will make his sixth career start for the team. The right-hander is a hometown boy, product of Marietta, who spent his college years at Princeton. He put up an 0.82 ERA in two games in 2013.