Atlanta @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 28, 2010 ) Atlanta 3, Washington 1

If the Atlanta Braves are going to hold off the hard-charging Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East, they need to start stringing together some victories.

They'll have a chance to do that Thursday afternoon, when the Braves and the Washington Nationals square off in the rubber match of their three-game set at Nationals Park.

Leadoff man Martin Prado broke out of a brief slump with three hits Wednesday, and Chipper Jones drove in two runs to help Atlanta to a 3-1 lead that allowed it to keep pace with the surging Phillies. The Braves have won consecutive games only once since the All-Star break, though, while the Phillies have reeled off seven consecutive wins to cut Atlanta's lead in the division to 3 1/2 games.

That lead was twice as large just a week ago, but the Braves have been unable to gain any traction since the break, splitting their first 12 games of the second half.

Leaving men on base has been one of the main culprits for the Braves, who stranded nine runners in Wednesday's win, matching their average over the past eight games.

They'll try to buck that trend Thursday against 26-year-old left-hander Scott Olsen, who was activated from the disabled list and is slated to start for the Nationals. Olsen (2-2, 3.77 ERA) hasn't pitched for Washington since May 21 against Baltimore, and he went on the disabled list a day later with an injured left shoulder.

Although he didn't factor in the decision, Olsen was outstanding the last time he faced the Braves, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning of the Nationals' 3-2 victory May 6 at home. He allowed two runs – one earned – over 7 1/3 innings, giving up two hits and a walk and striking out eight.

Olsen is 3-5 with a 5.88 ERA in 14 appearances against the Braves. Chipper Jones is 13-for-28 (.464) with two homers and 14 RBIs against him, and Matt Diaz is 11-for-28 with three homers at his expense.

After getting a stellar performance from Tim Hudson on Wednesday, the Braves turn to another veteran right-hander today, handing the ball to 37-year-old Derek Lowe.

Lowe (10-8, 4.48 ERA) has posted only one quality start in his last five outings, and he didn't factor in the decision in Atlanta's 7-6 loss at Florida on Friday. He allowed four runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings.

In 19 appearances (13 starts) against Washington, Lowe is 6-5 with a 3.86 ERA. He faced the Nationals on June 29 in Atlanta, allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings and taking the loss in a 7-2 defeat.

Cristian Guzman (12-for-32), Adam Kennedy (13-for-32) and Nyjer Morgan (9-for-16) have shown great success against Lowe.