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Atlanta Braves & Washington Nationals square off in critical series

By Jake Mastroianni

ATLANTA, GA - MAY 28: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves steals second base ahead of the throw to Brian Dozier #9 of the Washington Nationals in the first inning of an MLB game at SunTrust Park on May 28, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 28: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves steals second base ahead of the throw to Brian Dozier #9 of the Washington Nationals in the first inning of an MLB game at SunTrust Park on May 28, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 23: Nick  Markakis #22 of the Atlanta Braves gets ready to take the field against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Nationals Park on June 23, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 23: Nick  Markakis #22 of the Atlanta Braves gets ready to take the field against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Nationals Park on June 23, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

There is still a lot of time left, but with the trade deadline looming, this weekend’s four-game series between the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals is crucial.

And to be honest, this series is much more critical for the Washington Nationals than the Atlanta Braves.

With the Nationals unexpectedly dropping a game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday, they enter this weekend six-and-a-half games back of the Braves in the NL East.

That means that even if the Nationals sweep the Braves this weekend they’ll still be two-and-a-half games back.

And if the Atlanta Braves can manage to split the series they’ll retain their current lead. So really, the Nationals need this more than the Braves.

However, the Braves also have a chance to bury the National before the trade deadline.

With the four games against them this weekend, the Braves can extend their lead and maybe halt the Nationals plans of making any big moves before the deadline.

But the Nationals are still a very solid wild card contender, and with their payroll, they can’t really do much before the deadline anyway.

It will still be a huge boost for this Braves team to win this four-game series with the Nats to establish their dominance in the East because the Nationals are the only real threat to the crown at the moment — and that threat is real.

Game 1 – Stephen Strasburg vs. Julio Teheran

The game matchup between Stephen Strasburg and Julio Teheran is not great, but I still trust Julio going up against a Harperless Nationals lineup.

Julio hasn’t faced the Nationals yet this season, but he obviously has a lot of experience against that lineup.

Keeping Trea Turner off the bases will be a huge key for Julio — as well as the rest of the pitching staff in this series — as Turner is 7-for-15 off Teheran. Anthony Rendon (12-for-40) and Howie Kendrick (6-for-16) have hit Julio well in their career.

Julio’s last two starts have been much better, but those also came against Miami and San Diego.

Strasburg has already made two starts against the Atlanta Braves this year and is 2-0 in those starts with a 3.46 ERA.

Let’s hope it’s really hot on Thursday night in Atlanta and Strasburg gets worn out early.

As we all know, Freddie Freeman has owned Strasburg in his career with 4 home runs off him.

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