Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals preview: Braves look to take series in game four

The Atlanta Braves will need a win today to take the series against the Washington Nationals and reclaim their lead in the National League East after yesterday’s shutout loss.

At the moment, the Braves are 0.5 games behind the dreaded Nationals in the division, but a win today would give the team a 0.5 game lead over Washington.

Set to take the mound in this one is Ervin Santana for the Braves and Tanner Roark for the Nationals.

Santana’s last outing was against the Phillies, where he threw six innings of four-run (three earned) ball. He walked three in the game and struck out five while allowing his eighth home run of the season. It would be great for Santana to come out with an outing like he had in the month of April, because it’s been a fairly rough stretch for him.

Tanner Roark is sitting with a 2.85 ERA on the season and solid peripherals to back it up. He’s got a 3.37 FIP, 3.73 xFIP, 7.03 K/9 and just 2.04 BB/9. His last outing was a win against Houston, where he held the Astros to just a single run over five innings of work.

Here’s the lineup the Braves are working with today:

Tommy La Stella is back in the leadoff spot. What are your thoughts on this recurring decision from Fredi Gonzalez?

Here are the particulars for the game:

Date: June 22, 2014

Start Time: 1:35 p.m. ET

TV Channel: Fox Sports South

Radio: 680 AM/106.7 FM (Local in Atlanta), Full list of Local Affiliates

Live Stream: MLB.tv (Click Here, $)

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