The Atlanta Braves are still chasing the New York Mets for the top spot in the National League East division, and they will have a great opportunity to inch closer to Max Scherzer and company when they start a four-game series against the struggling Washington Nationals. That said, the Nationals might just have a surprise waiting for Atlanta. With that said, check out our preview below of this Braves vs Nationals 2022 MLB regular-season game.
The Braves are coming off a series against National League East division leaders New York Mets and won just one of three games. It should get easier for Atlanta in its last series of the first half of the 2022 MLB season as the Braves will just be dealing this time with the lowly Nationals. On the mound for the Braves this Thursday night is Kyle Wright, who is one of the best in the majors right now. Wright is 10-4 with a 2.97 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. So far this season, the 26-year-old righty has a 3-2 record and a 2.75 ERA in six starts away from home. At the plate, the Braves are counting on Austin Riley has been on a roll this month, batting .434 with 7 home runs and 15 RBIs in the last 13 games, while Dansby Swanson is hitting .304 with 7 RBIs over the same stretch.
It’s easy to write out the Nationals in most of their games, as they are way, way, way below .500 with just a 30-60 record. However, they have had success against Wright, so an upset isn’t as distinct of a possibility as the odds would suggest. While the Braves won 4-3 in the last time Wright faced the Nationals on July 9, Washington tagged him for 3 earned runs on 8 hits across 7 innings. The current roster of the Nationals has a collective batting average of .329 against Wright, with Victor Robles going 3-for-6 in the matchup all-time. The Nationals will also finally have Anibal Sanchez back. The veteran right-hander is making his season debut this Thursday after being sidelined for a long time by a neck issue.
