Jul 3, 2009 - 12:09 AM
0 shoutsBy MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer
Atlanta (37-40) at Washington (22-54), 6:35 p.m. EDT
A season-high four-game winning streak and a sweep of the defending World Champions has put the Atlanta Braves back in the thick of the NL East race.
A visit to Washington could help them climb even higher.
Some challenges could lie ahead for the Braves on their 10-game road trip, but they'll first open a three-game set on Friday night against the lowly Nationals.
The Braves have struggled with consistency - especially offensively - this season, but picked a good time to find a bit of a groove, totaling 21 runs and 37 hits in a three-game sweep of Philadelphia earlier this week.
They're still in fourth place in the East, but only two games in back of the struggling Phillies, who are in a virtual tie with Florida. Atlanta (38-40) is one game behind the third-place New York Mets.
"(We've got) a long way to go, but we're happy with our position," Braves manager Bobby Cox said.
The winning streak has come without injured leadoff hitter Nate McLouth (hamstring), but Martin Prado has helped pick up the slack. He went 7 for 12 with three doubles, a home run and six RBIs against the Phillies.
Casey Kotchman and Garret Anderson each hit two-run home runs, and Matt Diaz notched his second straight three-hit game in Thursday's 5-2 win to cap their first home sweep of the Phillies in more than four years.
The Braves last won five in a row from May 18-22, 2008. With an NL-worst 5.21 team ERA, Washington could help Atlanta keep rolling.
Cox's club will face the Chicago Cubs and Colorado later in the trip, but the Nationals (22-54) have the worst record in the major leagues. They return home after a 1-5 road trip, which closed with three straight losses to Florida including 5-3 on Wednesday as Washington stranded 13 runners.
"We had plenty of chances," manager Manny Acta said. "I think, right now, our situational hitting flat out stinks."
Rookie Ross Detwiler (0-4, 5.24 ERA) is well aware of that. He has received one run of support in five of his eight starts, including last Friday at Baltimore as he allowed five runs in five-plus innings of an 11-1 defeat.
The Nationals are 1-7 when he pitches.
His mound opponent will be Kenshin Kawakami (4-6, 4.25). The right-hander has not pitched since June 24, when he was forced to leave after three perfect innings when he was hit in the base of the neck by a line drive from the bat of New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain.
"I'm fine," Kawakami told the Braves' official Web site through a translator. "I'm alive. At first, I was worried that it might have hit a bone. I'm glad it didn't."
The 34-year-old rookie has allowed three or fewer earned runs in each of his last 10 starts. He's 3-3 with a 3.18 ERA over that span.
Both of his starts against Washington came before that stretch. He beat the Nationals in his major league debut on April 11, but lost to them 10 days later after allowing four runs - two earned - over five-plus innings at Nationals Park.
Atlanta swept the Nationals at home from April 10-12, but the team managed six total runs while losing two of three in the nation's capital April 20-22.
From the Bleachers
-
ATLANTA: 9
WASHINGTON: 8
Final
Jul 3 10:28 PM -
NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY CRISTIAN GUZMAN SCORED NICK JOHNSON AND RYAN
ZIMMERMAN.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, C GUZMAN ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 9
WASHINGTON 8 BOTTOM, 9TH
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: J BARD (.268, 0-FOR-4, RBI)
Jul 3 10:26 PM -
NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
BASES LOADED WALK TO MATT DIAZ SCORED MARTIN PRADO.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, M DIAZ ON FIRST, Y ESCOBAR ON SECOND, C
JONES ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 9
WASHINGTON 6 TOP, 8TH
DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: J FRANCOEUR (.245, 0-FOR-4)
Jul 3 9:44 PM -
NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY CRISTIAN GUZMAN SCORED RYAN ZIMMERMAN.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J WILLINGHAM ON FIRST, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 8
WASHINGTON 6 BOTTOM, 7TH
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: J BARD (.271, 0-FOR-3, RBI)
Jul 3 9:26 PM -
NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
THREE-RUN HOME RUN BY BROOKS CONRAD (1) TO RIGHT WITH 2 OUT
IN THE 7TH OFF JESUS COLOME SCORED YUNEL ESCOBAR AND CASEY
KOTCHMAN.
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 8, WASHINGTON 5
DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: N MCLOUTH (.255, 0-FOR-4)
Jul 3 9:11 PM -
NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
GROUND OUT BY JOSH BARD SCORED JOSH WILLINGHAM.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, C GUZMAN ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 5
WASHINGTON 5 BOTTOM, 5TH
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: W HARRIS (.250, 1-FOR-1, BB)
Jul 3 8:36 PM -
NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY YUNEL ESCOBAR SCORED CHIPPER JONES.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, Y ESCOBAR ON SECOND, B MCCANN ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 5
WASHINGTON 4 TOP, 4TH
DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: M DIAZ (.309, 2-FOR-2, RBI)
Jul 3 8:02 PM -
NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY CHIPPER JONES SCORED MARTIN PRADO.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, C JONES ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 4
WASHINGTON 4 TOP, 4TH
DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: B MCCANN (.311, 1-FOR-2)
Jul 3 7:57 PM -
NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY ADAM DUNN (21) TO RIGHT CENTER WITH 0 OUT
IN THE 3RD OFF KENSHIN KAWAKAMI.
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 3, WASHINGTON 4
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: J WILLINGHAM (.292, 1-FOR-1, RBI)
Jul 3 7:42 PM -
NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY YUNEL ESCOBAR SCORED CHIPPER JONES.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, Y ESCOBAR ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 3
WASHINGTON 3 TOP, 3RD
DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: M DIAZ (.304, 1-FOR-1, RBI)
Jul 3 7:32 PM -
NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY CHIPPER JONES SCORED MARTIN PRADO.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, C JONES ON SECOND, 0 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 2
WASHINGTON 3 TOP, 3RD
DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: B MCCANN (.312, 1-FOR-1)
Jul 3 7:30 PM -
NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY NICK JOHNSON SCORED ROSS DETWILER.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, N JOHNSON ON FIRST, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 1
WASHINGTON 3 BOTTOM, 2ND
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: R ZIMMERMAN (.295, 0-FOR-1)
Jul 3 7:23 PM -
NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY ROSS DETWILER SCORED WILLIE HARRIS.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, R DETWILER ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 1
WASHINGTON 2 BOTTOM, 2ND
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: N MORGAN (.277, 0-FOR-0, BB)
Jul 3 7:19 PM -
NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY MATT DIAZ SCORED BRIAN MCCANN.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, M DIAZ ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 1
WASHINGTON 1 TOP, 2ND
DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: J FRANCOEUR (.248, 5 HR, 33 RBI)
Jul 3 7:06 PM -
NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY JOSH WILLINGHAM SCORED NYJER MORGAN.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J WILLINGHAM ON FIRST, A DUNN ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 0
WASHINGTON 1 BOTTOM, 1ST
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: C GUZMAN (.318, 3 HR, 18 RBI)
Jul 3 6:55 PM
