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Braves-Nationals Preview

May 3, 2010 - 5:30 PM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Atlanta (11-14) at Washington (13-12), 7:05 p.m. EDT

A return home helped the Atlanta Braves get back on track. Now they are looking to carry their strong play into the nation's capital.

The Braves go for their season-high fourth straight win Tuesday night at Nationals Park, where they'll try to avoid their first eight-game road losing streak in 14 seasons.

Atlanta (11-14) had lost nine in a row after an 0-7 trip going into the weekend, but outscored Houston 21-4 in three games for its first sweep of the season.

"We needed to get on track, we needed to get back to winning games," catcher Brian McCann said. "That road trip wasn't us. We need to make sure it was just a bump in the road.

"This was a big series for us. Big, big series."

Rookie Jason Heyward will look for another big series as the Braves open their nine-game trip in Washington. Heyward batted .500 with three homers and seven RBIs in his last four games and is among the NL leaders with seven home runs and 23 RBIs.

"I think what makes it most impressive is when he gets his hits and RBIs," Braves right-hander Derek Lowe said after Heyward drove in three runs in a 7-1 win Sunday. "You know it's not by accident he's having the success he's having."

Troy Glaus went 5 for 8 with four RBIs in the final two games against the Astros, lifting his average to .238.

"Guys are starting to pick it up a little bit and that's just what we needed, to get home and get some run ratios in our favor once in a while," manager Bobby Cox said.

Continuing that hot hitting against Livan Hernandez (3-1, 0.87 ERA) could be difficult for Atlanta, which last dropped eight straight on the road during a 10-game slide Aug. 31-Sept. 14, 1996.

Hernandez will try to help the Nationals (13-12) rebound after they dropped two in a row at Florida. The right-hander has lasted at least seven innings in each of his starts.

"I've thrown four good games," he said after tossing seven innings of six-hit ball in a 3-1 road victory over Chicago on Tuesday. "Let's see what happens. It's early. I feel very good."

Hernandez is 5-15 with a 5.37 ERA in 27 starts versus the Braves, but went 2-0 with a 3.32 ERA in three games against them last season while with the New York Mets and Nationals.

The Braves will counter with Kenshin Kawakami (0-4, 5.48), who has not won since Aug. 31. The right-hander surrendered five runs and walked four over 4 1/3 innings of a 6-0 loss at St. Louis on Wednesday.

"Every start has not been solid, and today it was just worse," Kawakami said through an interpreter. "It's pretty disappointing."

The Braves have totaled five runs in Kawakami's four starts.

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman went 6 for 11 with two homers and three RBIs in the three-game set against the Marlins and is batting .370.

Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, 1 for 24 in his last eight games, is 23 for 65 (.354) with 10 doubles and a homer against Hernandez.

Atlanta swept a three-game series in Washington from Sept. 25-27 but dropped four straight to the visiting Nationals from Oct. 1-4.