Just a week removed from their last series, Washington is trying to stay competitive in a tough NL East while Atlanta is slowly putting themselves in the mix to claim a division crown.
What a series from the Washington Nationals, showing their offensive potential while sweeping the Baltimore Orioles. Stars such as James Wood and CJ Abrams have put the Washington Nationals on their back heading into a tough series against division rival Atlanta Braves.
These two squads faced off last week in a four-game series in Atlanta, resulting in a series win for Atlanta, dominating with their much-improved rotation.
ATLANTA TEAM STATS
OFFENSE
With a star-studded offense, Atlanta’s lineup has been disappointing. Led by an impressive Austin Riley season, Atlanta has a .247 batting average, 50 home runs (14th), .319 on base percentage (13th), and a .390 slugging percentage (15th).
PITCHING
Heading into the 2025 season, question marks filled this rotation. With young talent like AJ Smith-Shawver and Spencer Schwellenbach, mixing in proven talent like Chris Sale. This is all while Spencer Strider has been in and out of the IL, who is also making his return in this series. Atlanta currently sits with a 3.75 ERA (13th), 1.23 WHIP (12th), and a .233 batting average against (10th).
GAME ONE: TUESDAY, 6:45 EDT
WAS: LHP Mitchell Parker (3-3) – 9 G, 4.32 ERA, 32 SO, 1.30 WHIP
ATL: RHP Spencer Strider (0-1) – 1 G, 3.47 ERA, 5 SO, 1.20 WHIP
Southpaw Mitchell Parker has struggled as of late. Parker has not recorded a quality start in his last three starts, pitching a total of 12.2 innings. In his previous start against Atlanta, Parker pitched 4.2 innings, giving up four earned runs on four hits, but Washington secured the win.
Spencer Strider cannot catch a break to start the 2025 season. After sitting out most of 2024, recovering from Tommy John surgery, Strider was able to make his return to the mound in mid-April. However, Strider was placed back on the IL due to a hamstring injury, sidelining him for another month. Now healthy, it will be interesting to see if Strider will be limited and monitored against Washington.
GAME TWO: WEDNESDAY, 6:45 EDT
WAS: RHP Trevor Williams (2-5) – 9 G, 5.91 ERA, 38 SO, 1.53 WHIP
ATL: RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (3-2) – 7 G, 2.33 ERA, 40 SO, 1.24 WHIP
Trevor Williams is another Washington arm who has struggled giving up runs this season. In his last four starts, he has given up a combined seventeen earned runs. His last start against Atlanta resulted in a Washington loss, giving up three earned runs on five hits while striking out four batters.
AJ Smith-Shawver has solidified himself as a long-term option for Atlanta this season. With just a 2.33 ERA, Smith-Shawver has been Atlanta’s most reliable arm. His last start against Washington continued this narrative, going six innings of shutout baseball while only giving up two hits. Walks have become an underlying issue, and in his last three starts, he has walked eight times.
GAME THREE: THURSDAY, 6:45 EDT
WAS: LHP MacKenzie Gore (2-4) – 10 G, 3.67 ERA, 84 SO, 1.30 WHIP
ATL: LHP Chris Sale (2-3) – 10 G, 3.62 ERA, 72 SO, 1.35 WHIP
MacKenzie Gore is the strikeout leader in the MLB heading into this series. In 10 starts, Gore has thrown fewer than six strikeouts in only one game this season. Gore struggled against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 11 and was limited to 3.2 innings in his last start against the Baltimore Orioles. In his most recent start, Gore struck out nine batters while giving up ten hits and two runs, resulting in a victory for Washington.
The reigning National League CY Young winner has progressed back to where he was last season after a rough start to the 2025 season. Sale’s ERA peaked at 6.75 early in the season, but has since nearly cut that number in half. His last start was one of his best starts of the season, going seven innings and allowing one earned run on five hits and striking out eight.
Atlanta is starting to make their push toward a potential division crown, while Washington still feels far behind. Atlanta has a lineup littered with veteran talent, and Washington is relying on their two young stars day in and day out.