Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals preview: Alex Wood vs. Blake Treinen
By Brad Rowland
UPDATE: The Nationals have scratched Gio Gonzalez, electing to start 26-year-old right-hander Blake Treinen.
#Braves won’t have to face Gio Gonzalez tonight. Blake Treinen will now start for Washington.
— Kevin McAlpin (@KevinMcAlpin) September 17, 2014
Treinen enters with a 2.18 ERA over 13 appearances (5 starts) this season, but he struggles in the strikeout department (5.66 per 9 innings) and appears to be hittable by a “normal” offense, if not by this Braves club.
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It was a “same story, different day” situation at Turner Field on Tuesday, as the Atlanta Braves floundered on offense while the Washington Nationals clinched the NL East title with a shutout victory. However, the season is not (fully) over in Braves Country, as the team has faint hope at the NL Wild Card, and that push continues on Wednesday evening. Let’s take a look at the pitching battle.
The Pitching Match-up:
Alex Wood has been incredible. It is a borderline travesty that he holds only a 10-10 mark in the win-loss area this season, as the young left-hander has posted a lights-out 2.83 ERA to go along with a 1.14 WHIP and nearly a strikeout per inning (156 K in 159 IP). The 23-year-old has allowed only 3 earned runs over his past 22 innings (three starts), and if there is a guy who can help salvage a victory in this spot, it is Alex Wood.
In opposition, the Nationals will send left-hander Gio Gonzalez to the hill, and while he has had a “down” season by his recent standards, Gonzalez is still a solid arm. For the season, he has posted a 3.79 ERA, but on the bright side for Atlanta, that number balloons to 6.75 over two outings against the Braves. Much like Stephen Strasburg, however, there is no reason to think that couldn’t change in the blink of an eye, and this shouldn’t be considered a “favorable” match-up for the fledgling offense.
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The Particulars:
Date: September 17, 2014
Start Time: 7:10 pm ET
TV Channel: SportSouth (Local), ESPN (National)
Radio: 680 AM/106.7 FM (Local in Atlanta), Full list of Local Affiliates
Live Stream: MLB.tv (Click Here, $)
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The Predictions:
Before we offer our predictions for today, here’s a look at our records to this point:
- Carlos: 19-11
- Brad: 11-19
The gap continues to grow, as my heart has led me astray in backing the Braves. Once again, I will be placing my faith in Alex Wood here (sigh), while Carlos continues to be the smart editor on the site, picking the Nationals for the sweep.
Please feel free to sound off in the comments with your predictions for the game and feel free to rub it in our faces when you beat us on twitter (@ATLBeatBlog).