The Washington Nationals hope to avoid an eighth straight loss to the Atlanta Braves when the NL East foes come to blows on Saturday afternoon. Washington yielded eight runs in a lopsided loss on Friday night at Nationals Park, which now puts them one defeat away from losing the series. They’re hoping to get things back under control with Paolo Espino taking the mound as the starting pitcher against Atlanta’s Max Fried.
It’s no surprise the Braves are bullying the Nationals at the plate.
This is what happens when the worst run-scoring defensive team takes on one of the most explosive offensive teams in the league. It’s also what happens when a legitimate NL contender goes head-to-head with a struggling Nationals team on an eight-game losing streak.
Things will only get better for the Braves with Max Fried slated to take the mound as the starting pitcher in Saturday’s matchup. The talented lefty should be eager to get another crack at the Nationals after they knocked him around for six hits and four runs in 5.2 innings when they last met at Nationals Park back in mid-June.
Fried is throwing a 2.56 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP and 105 strikeouts to his name. He’s pitching with fire on the mound, despite dropping a loss to the New York Mets in his last outing. But this time around, he won’t be facing the No. 1-ranked team in the NL East. The Nationals are a mess defensively, and they’re averaging less runs on offense at home than on the road this season.