Atlanta @ Washington preview
Nationals Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 24, 2011 ) Atlanta 1, Washington 4
THE STORY: A rookie and a converted relief pitcher will oppose each other in the final meeting of the season between the visiting Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals on Sunday. The Braves are trying to nail down the final playoff spot; their magic number to clinch the National League wild card berth is three and they have a two-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Nationals still have a chance to finish over .500, but they must run the table in order to end up with a winning record. Atlanta has won nine of the 17 meetings with Washington this season.
TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, FSS (Atlanta), MASN (Washington)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves LH Mike Minor (5-2, 4.27 ERA) vs. Nationals LH Ross Detwiler (3-5, 3.30 ERA)
Minor didn't receive a decision in his last start against the Florida Marlins, but was undone by allowing three home runs in 5 2/3 innings. It was his shakiest appearance since being placed in the rotation in early August. Minor has found himself in some tight games since then - six of his last eight starts have been decided by one run. He's 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in two career starts against the Nationals. This will be his first appearance against Washington this season.
Detwiler snapped a two-game losing streak when he blanked the Philadelphia Phillies through 7 1/3 innings in his last outing. Over his last two starts - a span of 13 innings - Detwiler has allowed only six hits and two runs. He's only pitched 13 1/3 career innings against the Braves with a 4.73 ERA. He allowed three runs, three hits and two walks in a two-inning relief stint against Atlanta earlier this season.
ABOUT THE BRAVES (89-69): Jason Heyward had his five-game hitting streak snapped on Saturday; he had been 8-for-18 during that stretch, but his only RBI came on a solo homer. Brian McCann is only 3-for-17 in the five games on the road trip and hasn't hit a home run since Sept. 13. Atlanta activated pitcher Kris Medlen from the disabled list. He had Tommy John surgery last August, but has thrown well enough in bullpen sessions to earn a shot to pitch before the season ends. Alex Gonzalez sat out his third straight game with a right calf strain.
ABOUT THE NATIONALS (77-80): Veteran catcher Ivan Rodriguez received his first start since July 4 and threw out a pair of baserunners, including National League stolen base leader Michael Bourn. Rodriguez was sidelined for nearly two months with a strained oblique and will start the final game of the season in Florida. Jayson Werth's campaign hasn't been an overwhelming success, but he was able to reach 20 home runs for the fourth consecutive season. Ryan Zimmerman is 3-for-9 in the Atlanta series after going 2-for-12 against the Phillies.
FINAL PITCH: “We've got to win ballgames. It's nice to watch the scoreboard and do all that kind of stuff, but we've got to win our ballgames that are there in front of us.” - Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez, on the wild card chase.