Braves open two-game series at Nationals on Tuesday
Atlanta, 82-56, visits Nationals Park with AJ Smith-Shawver starting against Washington right-hander Jake Irvin.
The Matchup at Nationals Park
The Atlanta Braves begin a two-game series against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Tuesday, with first pitch scheduled for 6:45 p.m. Eastern time, according to Yahoo Sports.
Atlanta arrives at 82-56 after a homestand that Battery Power described as 6-1 against National League West opponents, including two sweeps. That run ended Monday when the San Francisco Giants beat the Braves 7-3, snapping a seven-game winning streak, Yahoo Sports reported.
Washington sits at 66-74, eight games under .500. The Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 6-3 on Monday behind a four-run seventh inning, and have won four of their last five games.
Pitching and Recent Form
Right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver starts for Atlanta. He is 0-0 with a 5.93 earned run average and is making his third start since being recalled on August 18. His most recent outing was five innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on 93 pitches, allowing five hits, three earned runs and three walks with three strikeouts.
Washington counters with right-hander Jake Irvin, who is 2-8 with a 5.62 ERA. Battery Power reports Irvin is 3-4 with a 4.08 ERA in ten career games against Atlanta, with Braves hitters batting .215 against him. Michael Harris II leads Atlanta at .292 against Irvin, while Matt Olson is at .190 with two home runs.
Harris went 2-for-4 with a home run on Monday, his 15th consecutive game reaching base. Reliever Ray Kerr threw 3.1 innings and gave up one earned run on one hit.
Washington's Bullpen and the Last Meeting
The Nationals bullpen has 35 blown saves, two short of the Major League Baseball record, Battery Power reported. In their one loss to Miami in the recent four-game series, Washington led 2-0 before the relief corps allowed six runs in the top of the ninth.
Outfielder Daylen Lile drove Monday's win with two home runs and four runs batted in, going 3-for-3. Yahoo Sports notes those were his first two-homer game since July 30, when he also hit two against Atlanta.
The sources differ slightly on the last meeting. Yahoo Sports says the teams last played on August 2, with Atlanta winning 4-2. Battery Power says Washington was swept in a four-game set at Truist Park in their most recent visit.
Capital Weather forecast heat indexes in the mid to upper 90s leading up to first pitch, easing somewhat in the evening, with a small chance of a stray shower or storm near the ballpark.
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