The Atlanta Braves picked the right time to start winning. The team was in the midst of an eight-game losing streaking after getting swept twice on a West Coast road trip. However, that all changed when they faced division rival, the Washington Nationals, a team they are in a heated race with for the National League East crown. The Braves found their bats on Friday night and hope to keep the momentum going as the edge closer to first place.
Prior to the losing streak, Atlanta was one a half-game back from Washington, but they eight-game streak let the Nationals gain a 4 1/2 game advantage, leaving Atlanta to pick up the pace. The 8-3 win to start the series certainly helps. Freddie Freeman, BJ Uption, Justin Upton and Tommy La Stella all hit home runs in the first game. Justin Upton is currently batting .394 against Washington while Freeman is on an 11-game hit streak against Washington while batting .477 against the team.
The Braves will start Aaron Harang against Washington. He is 9-6 on the season with a 3.41 ERA. He has not lost since June 18, while putting up a 2.72 ERA in his last eight games. He is pitching well, but Atlanta has failed to score in his last four starts. He is getting backed by an average of 2.88 runs which is not helping his record.
The Nationals will start Tanner Roark who is looking to get the team back on track after they were dominated against on Friday. The pitcher is 11-7 with a 2.94 ERA. Freeman is 3 for 9 against the pitcher. Before giving up five runs in his last start, he had only allowed one run over seven innings in each of his last four starts. The Nationals hope the rough outing is not about to become a habit for the pitcher. the Nationals do expect Jayson Werth to play after he was out for a sore ankle. He is hitting .136 against Harang.
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