The Atlanta Braves' chances of catching up to the Washington Nationals for the lead in the National League East are looking more and more slim by the day. The team has hit a big rough patch coming off of back-to-back sweeps while taking just one from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a recent four-game home stand. Now the team enters interleague play as the Oakland Athletics come to town with one of the best pitching rotations in the league.
Since the end of July, the Braves are 3-12 and welcoming the league's best team does not help the effort. To make matters worse, Justin Upton exited Wednesday's game with a hamstring injury and is not expected to play. He currently has eight of the 22 RBIs the Braves have managed in the past seven games.
The Braves will put Alex Wood on the mound in hopes he can capitalize off his strong pitching. Wood has been a bright spot for the Braves as he is 8-9 with a 3.08 ERA on the year. He put together a strong start against the Nationals, giving up just one run and five hits through seven innings. He also racked up 12 strikeouts in the process. The left-hander has 25 strikeouts in his last 20 1/3 innings, going 1-1 with a 1.33 ERA in the three-game stretch.
The Athletics are in a rough spot of their own which can only help the Braves. The team has dropped four of their last five after losing to the Kansas City Royals. Jason Hammel takes the mound. He seems to have recovered from a recent rough patch. The pitcher bounced back allowing one run in 12 innings. He held the Twins to one run and four hits over six innings. He has done well when pitching against the National Leauge. He is 7-5 with a 3.03 ERA in 16 starts against the NL, all but one being before he was traded. He faced the Braves on May 9 and held the team to two runs in seven innings.
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