The Atlanta Braves will continue a long road trip Thursday when they face the Washington Nationals in a rematch of a four-game series. The Braves dropped three of four to the Nationals on their previous homestand. Reynaldo López will get the start for Atlanta in the opener while Washington will go with lefty Mitchell Parker.
It has been an interesting season for the Braves thus far and their two-game series in Boston was a near perfect representation. Atlanta began the season as a heavy favorite in the NL East but has been beset by injuries and an inconsistent offense. The pitching staff has been good enough to keep the team’s head above water and they enter Thursday’s game nine games above .500 at 34-25.
The season overall has been a mixed bag. On one hand, not many teams could withstand losing a pre-season Cy Young favorite Spencer Strider and the reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. and continue to keep their heads above water. On the other, this team is way too talented offensively to be struggling like this. For whatever reason, things just haven’t clicked which is tough for a team that came into the season with sky high expectations.
The Braves will give the ball to Lopez, who has been one of the good stories of the season, for Thursday’s opener. Lopez has successfully made the switch back to the rotation after spending most of the last four seasons as a reliever. He’s pitched well posting a 1.73 ERA and a 2.72 FIP over 57 1⁄3 innings across 10 starts. Lopez allowed one run and recorded a season-high eight strikeouts over six innings in his last start against the Athletics. Lopez is just 8 2⁄3 innings away from matching his innings total for all of last season.
The Nationals will counter with lefty Mitchell Parker who turned in one of his best efforts of the season last week at Truist Park. Parker ended up allowing three runs over 5 1⁄3 innings against the Braves while throwing a season-high 100 pitches. However, he dominated them over the first five innings and Atlanta didn’t dent the scoreboard until after the game was well out of hand. Parker allowed three runs over 5 2⁄3 innings in his last start against the Guardians.
The Braves got a couple of scares in the Boston series. Sean Murphy was hit just below his elbow in Tuesday’s game and left with noticeable swelling in the area. However, he was feeling better Wednesday and it was notable that Atlanta didn’t make a roster move to add another catcher. In Wednesday’s game, Jarred Kelenic appeared to injure his wrist while making a diving grab in the sixth inning. Kelenic returned to the field in the seventh with some additional tape on his wrist and thumb, but left the game in the eighth for a pinch-hitter. Brian Snitker said after the game that it appeared that Kelenic was fine and left the game only because the score was out of hand. His status will be something to watch Thursday.
First pitch for Thursday’s game is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET and can be seen on Bally Sports Southeast.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Thursday, June 6, 6:45 p.m. ET
Location: Nationals Park, Washington D.C.
TV: Bally Sports Southeast
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
