Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals preview: Time to stop the bleeding
By Brad Rowland
UPDATE: The Braves have promoted right-hander Juan Jaime from triple-A Gwinnett, while placing Pedro Beato on the 15-day disabled list. In addition, Justin Upton will remain out of the lineup on Tuesday, after reportedly telling Fredi Gonzalez he was less than 100%. Here is the posted lineup:
#Braves in DC: La Stella 4, BJ Upton 8, Freeman 3, Gattis 2, Heyward 9, Johnson 5, Doumit 7, Simmons 6, Floyd 1
— Kevin McAlpin (@KevinMcAlpin) June 19, 2014
—–
The Atlanta Braves are reeling a bit on the heels of an ugly sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies this week, but there is no time for a breather, as the team sets foot in the nation’s capital for a four-game set against the rival Washington Nationals over the weekend. In the opener, the Braves, unfortunately, don’t have a pitching advantage on paper, as they send right-hander Gavin Floyd to the post against Washington’s Jordan Zimmermann.
Zimmerman has been his usual, extremely solid self this season, as the 28-year-old has posted a 2.98 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 14 starts and more than 84 innings. His stuff isn’t overpowering by any stretch, but the right-hander has allowed only 15 walks in those 84.2 innings, and Atlanta’s offense will need to take advantage of any mistakes, rather than simply waiting to take their base in this particular match-up.
In the case of Floyd, he has exceeded expectations on the way to a 2.98 ERA in eight starts, but the general consensus seems to be that he is pitching over his head at this stage. Still, the Nationals lineup hasn’t exactly inspired a great deal of fear in the opposition this season, and if Floyd can hit his spots, there is a chance he can have another quality outing.
Here is a look at the particulars for Thursday:
Date: June 19, 2014
Start Time: 7:05 pm ET
TV Channel: SportSouth, MLB Network (National)
Radio: 680 AM/106.7 FM (Local in Atlanta), Full list of Local Affiliates
Live Stream: MLB.tv (Click Here, $)
Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@ATLBeatBlog) for more information (including all of your Atlanta Braves action), and check back after the game for a full recap. Sound off in the comments!