Washington @ Atlanta preview
Turner Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 28, 2010 ) Washington 0, Atlanta 5
After taking down the great Stephen Strasburg, the Atlanta Braves should have the confidence to take on any pitcher that comes their way.
Armed with one of the top scoring offenses in the National League, the Braves will be looking to clinch the three-game series when they take on the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.
All of the pregame hype for Monday’s series opener revolved around Nationals phenom Strasburg, who was making his fifth start of the season - and first against a team with a winning record. The 21-year-old held his own, dominating the middle innings, but lost it in the seventh as Atlanta scored five runs in the frame.
The veteran Braves hitters lined a few balls at people in the first inning and spent the rest of the game trying to figure out Strasburg until the veterans went to work.
Chipper Jones drew a leadoff walk in the seventh and Brian McCann followed with a single before a possible double-play ball was booted by shortstop Ian Desmond to load the bases. Strasburg could not find his way out of that jam, yielding a sacrifice fly to Eric Hinske and an RBI single to Yunel Escobar before being lifted.
The Atlanta lineup has given plenty of pitchers fits this season, with few weak spots from top to bottom. Leadoff man Martin Prado leads the National League in hitting while veterans like Jones, McCann and Troy Glaus anchor the middle. Escobar, who is a career .293 hitter, is all the way down in the No. 7 spot.
That lineup and consistent starting pitching have led the Braves to the top of the NL East, giving them a chance to send departing manager Bobby Cox out with another division title in his final season before retirement.
The Braves will send veteran right-hander Derek Lowe to the mound on Tuesday. The 37-year-old sinkerballer turned in his best outing of the season last Thursday against the Chicago White Sox, allowing five hits and walking two in seven scoeless innings. Unfortunately Atlanta’s bats did not show up in support, leaving Lowe with a no-decision in a 2-0 loss.
After a shaky start to the 2010 campaign, Lowe has regained most of his old form, allowing three earned runs or less in seven of his last eight outings. He has only allowed two homers in that span - a key marker for a pitcher who needs to keep the ball on the ground to succeed.
Lowe has yet to face Washington this season but closed out the 2009 campaign with two consecutive starts against the division rivals, allowing nine runs - eight earned - and 15 hits in 10 2/3 combined frames. Overall in his career, Lowe owns a 6-4 mark with a 3.68 ERA in 18 games - 12 starts - against the Nationals.
Washington is expected to dip back into the farm system and recall right-hander Craig Stammen for Tuesday. The 26-year-old went 1-2 with a 5.43 ERA in 12 starts for Washington before being optioned back to Triple-A Syracuse on June 7. He went 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in the minors.
Stammen faced the Braves once last season, allowing two runs and four hits in six innings. He did not factor in the decision.