The Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals will each send their top arms to the mound in a Saturday showdown of two of the presumed best teams in the National League East this season. Julio Teheran looked strong in his first trip to the mound this season despite the Braves getting the loss. Stephen Strasburg did not fair as well in his first outing and the Nationals are hoping he can bounce back quickly.
Strasburg struggled in his first start. However, placing Atlanta might not be the best team to bounce back against. The young pitcher has not beaten the Braves since 2012. He has a 2.57 ERA in his last six games against Atlanta. He has one win over that time span. In his last outing against his National League rivals, Strasburg looked poised to get a win until he was ejected in the second inning for throwing back-to-back pitches at Andrelton Simmons. He also hit Justin Upton in the first innings.
In his first start against the New York Mets, Strasburg posted a 6.00 ERA, giving up four runs over six innings. He did strike out 10 while giving up just five hits. Washington got the loss in their first game against the Braves on Friday after a call was overturned, taking away Ian Desmond's in-the-park home run. Chris Johnson ultimately hit a sacrifice fly to win the game.
Teheran looked good in his first game since his impressive rookie season where he won 14 games and finished fifth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. He gave up just two runs over six innings against the Brewers. Atlanta is looking for their fourth-straight win on their six game road trip before having their home opener next week. Teheran has given up one run over 12 innings in two games against the Nationals in his short career.