ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
Starting Pitching
LH Max Fried pitched 6.0 one-run innings in the start last night, improving to 8-1 with a 2.55 ERA on the season. Atlanta has now won each of its last 24 games in which the starting pitcher goes at least 6.0 innings, the longest single-season streak in history since the mound moved to its current distance in 1893. The 1935 Cubs and 1931 Philadelphia Athletics each won 23 straight such starts. Atlanta has not lost when its starting pitcher goes 6.0 innings since July 31 vs. the Angels, when Charlie Morton allowed three runs in 6.0 innings in a defeat, 4-1.
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Nationals tonight continue a four-game weekend series with what is the eighth of 13 games between the teams this season…Atlanta has already concluded play with every other team in the N.L. East, and plays Washington in seven of its final 10 games this year. Atlanta beat Washington, 10-3, last night, and is 5-2 in seven total games with the Nationals this season. The Braves went 14-5 against the Nationals last season, the second consecutive season in which Atlanta won 14 of the 19 matchups between the clubs…The Braves are 33-12 (.733) against the Nationals since the start of 2021. Atlanta has won the season set with Washington in each of the last five seasons dating to 2018, combing to go 60-33 (.645) versus the Nationals in that span. Atlanta scored 116 times in its 19 games against Washington last season, a year after outscoring the Nationals 101-73 (+28) in 2021…Last year marked the 11th time the Braves scored triple digits against a single team in a season since the turn of the century…The 2004 team has the most in that span, scoring 128 runs against the Expos. RH Charlie Morton is set to make the 16th start of his career against Washington and his first this season, and is 6-6 with a 4.75 ERA (41 ER/77.2 IP) over his first 15 turns…The 6-foot-5, 215- pound right-hander has not lost to Washington since rejoining the Braves prior to the 2021 season, going a perfect 4-0 with a 2.46 ERA (8 ER/29.1 iP) in five total starts. LH Patrick Corbin has made 22 appearances and 20 total starts against Atlanta in his career, compiling a 6-11 record with a 4.32 ERA (53 ER/110.1 IP)…The 6-foot-4, 226-pound native of Clay, NY, has not beaten the Braves since 2019, going 0-10 with a 7.11 ERA (40 ER/50.2 IP) in his last 11 starts versus Atlanta, while Washington has lost all 11.
WIN: The Braves beat the Nationals, 10-3, last night, and are are 28-8 (.778) in Washington since the start of the 2019 season…Atlanta has outscored Washington, 220-132, here in that span, and outhomered the Nationals, 74-27. The Braves’ 28-8 record here since 2019 is the best mark in the National League by any team in a single road city in their division…Milwaukee has the next-best record, going 28-11 (.718) at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. The Braves pitching staff has compiled a 3.41 ERA (121 ER/319.1 IP) here in that span, and is allowing the Nationals to bat just .231/.313/.350 with a .663 OPS against them. from 2014-2018, Atlanta went just 16-33 (.327) here at Nationals Park, including going winless in 10 games here in 2015.
FINAL TRIP: Atlanta tonight continues its final road
trip of the season, making a one-city, four-game stop here in Washington…The Braves also opened their season here in DC, taking two-of-three from the Nationals, March 30 to April 2. The Braves have gone 50-28 (.641) on the road this season, tied with Baltimore for the best such record in baseball. With a sweep here in Washington this week, Atlanta will tie the mark for the best road record in modern-era franchise history…The 1993 club went 53-28 (.654) away from Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium to hold the current mark. The Braves’ current road winning percentage of .641 is third best for the club since 1900, trailing just that ’93 team and Milwaukee in 1957 (50-27, .649). Atlanta’s win last night gave the club 50 wins on the road for the fifth time in modern-era franchise history, and the first since the 1998 Braves went 50-31.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:
OPPONENT – ATLANTA BRAVES
The Nationals and Braves will meet 13 times this season (7 in D.C., 6 in ATL)…Nationals manager Dave Martinez capped his 16-year Major League career with Atlanta in 2001, hitting .287 in 120 games…Nationals first base coach Eric Young Jr. is the son of Braves first base coach Eric Young Sr… CJ Abrams is a native of Alpharetta, Ga. and graduated from Blessed Trinity Catholic High School…He was named 2019 Georgia Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year while leading Blessed Trinity to a top-50 national ranking…Michael Chavis graduated from Sprayberry High School in Marietta.
MOVING ON
The Washington Nationals close out the 2023 home slate with a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves continuing on Friday… Coincidentally the Nationals also opened the 2023 season against the Braves at Nationals Park. Following this series, the Nationals will embark on their final road trip of the season…They will travel to Baltimore for a Two-game series on Tuesday and Wednesday before closing out the 2023 season with a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves next weekend.
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle announced his retirement this morning…Acquired in July 2017, Doolittle went 10-10 with 75 saves and a 2.92 ERA in 153 appearances across five seasons…His 75 saves are tied for third-most by a player in Nationals history (2005-pres.). Doolittle was a National League All-Star in 2018 and a key member of Washington’s 2019 World Series Championship, converting two saves, three holds and posting a 1.74 ERA in nine Postseason games en route to the title.
MASHIN’ MENESES
Joey Meneses is 14-for-44 (.318) with two doubles, two homers, nine RBI, two walks and five runs scored over his last 12 games…He has hit safely in eight of the 12 and has reached safely in nine of 12. he ranks in the National League in doubles (T7th, 34) and hits (10th, 161).
WORTH THE RISP
Joey Meneses (3rd, .365) and Keibert Ruiz (6th, .357) each rank in the top six in the National League in batting average with runners in scoring position this season…The Los Angeles Dodgers (Mookie Betts/Freddie Freeman/J.D Martinez) are the only other club to have at least two players in the top 10 in the National League. Meneses’ 58 hits with runners in scoring position are the most in Major League Baseball.
LANE TRAIN
Lane Thomas ranks in the National League in doubles (T7th, 34), total bases (9th, 278), extra-base hits (T9th, 63) and hits (11th, 160). Thomas’ 34 doubles are tied for third and his 64 extra-base hits are tied for fourth among National League outfielders… His 26 homers are tied for sixth. He leads Major League Baseball with a career-high 17 outfield assists…His 17 outfield assists rank second in Nationals history (2005-pres.) behind Alfonso Soriano (22 in 2006). With one more stolen base, he will record the sixth 20 home run – 20 stolen base season in Nationals history (2005-pres.) and the first since 2016.
BULLPENNING
Some notes on a few Nationals relievers:
- Robert Garcia has allowed just two hits with eight strikeouts in his last six outings (7.0 IP)…He’s posted a .095 opponents’ average (2-for-21) over this stretch. Together, Jose A. Ferrer (Last 14 G: 3-for-20) and Robert Garcia (Last 7 G: 0-for-11) have been very effective in limiting left-handed batters as of late. Hunter Harvey ranks among National League relievers in WHIP (6th, 0.93) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6th, 4.92). Kyle Finnegan ranks seventh in the National League with a career-high 26 saves.
BORN TO RUN
CJ Abrams’ 31 stolen bases since moving to the leadoff spot on July 7 are the most in Major League Baseball ahead of Ronald Acuña Jr. (27)…On the season, Abrams is fifth in Major League Baseball (3rd in the NL) with 42 stolen bases. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Abrams is one of eight shortstops in Major League history (done 11 times) to hit at least 15 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season…He is the second-youngest to do so behind Hanley Ramirez (17/51 in 2006; 22.282 years old) and ahead of Alex Rodriguez (42/46 in 1998; 23.063), per Elias.
STARTING PITCHER – #46 PATRICK CORBIN
Left-handed pitcher signed a six-year contract with the Nationals on Dec. 7, 2018…Was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the 2019 World Series…Is a two-time National League All-Star (2018, 2013) … Has started at least 30 games for five consecutive full seasons (2017-19, 2021-22), joining Gerrit Cole as the only pitchers since 2017 to accomplish the feat.
LAST START
Worked 6.0 innings, allowed one earned run on four hits, walked two and struck out two batters on September 17 against Milwaukee…He took a no decision in the Nationals’ 2-1 victory.
vs. ATLANTA
Faces the Braves for the second time this season…Corbin is 5-4 and has posted to a 3.86 ERA (20 ER/ 46.2 IP) with 52 strikeouts in nine career appearances at home.
LAST TWO STARTS
Corbin is 1-0 with aa 2.13 ERA (3 ER/12.2 IP) over his last two starts…He has 10 strikeouts, three walks and a 0.95 WHIP over this stretch.
GLOVE WORK
Corbin leads MLB pitchers with 32 assists and eight pickoffs…His eight pickoffs are a career-high.
1,500 STRIKEOUTS
With a strikeout of Jonathan Schoop on May 20 vs. Detroit, Corbin recorded his 1,500th career strikeout…He became the fourth Nationals Pitcher to record 1,500 strikeouts in a Nationals uniform, joining Stephen Strasburg (2019), Gio González(2017) and Max Scherzer (2015) per the Elias Sports Bureau.
APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT, FELLAS
Since joining the Nationals in 2019, Corbin is 35-3 with a 2.70 ERA in 43 starts when he throws at least 6.0 innings and receives at least three runs of support…The Nationals are 40-3 in those games.
