Nationals' Scherzer seeks second win vs. Braves (Apr 18, 2017)
ATLANTA -- The Washington Nationals picked a veteran to make the club's first start at Sun Trust Park on Tuesday, while the Atlanta Braves hope to see a young power arm begin to live up to his potential.
In a matchup that features a pair of right-handers, Washington's Max Scherzer (1-1, 2.13 ERA) goes against Atlanta's Mike Foltynewicz (0-1, 6.35 ERA) in the opener of a three-game series.
Scherzer has pitched well in both of his starts this season, a win at Philadelphia and a loss against St. Louis. In his most recent outing on April 12 against the Cardinals, Scherzer struck out 10 in six innings and allowed three runs, only one of them earned.
Scherzer had success when he pitched at Turner Field. In seven starts at the former home of the Braves, Scherzer was 3-2 with a 2.35 ERA. He is 5-3 with a 3.70 ERA in his career against Atlanta.
Among the Atlanta hitters, Nick Markakis (.320) and Ender Inciarte (.316) have had the most success against Scherzer.
Foltynewicz was skipped when his last turn in the rotation came up because the schedule provided additional off days and the team didn't require a fifth starter. He did not pitch well in his first start, which occurred during cold -- and occasionally snowy -- conditions in Pittsburgh.
He allowed two runs on six hits and three walks against the Pirates but was yanked after 3 2/3 innings on April 7. Foltynewicz pitched a two-inning relief stint on April 11 and allowed two runs.
In two career starts against Washington, Foltynewicz is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA. He has 11 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings against the Nationals.
Among Washington batters, Daniel Murphy (.571) and Anthony Rendon (.333) have both had success against Foltynewicz. Bryce Harper is hitless against the big right-hander, but he has a 1.020 OPS in April, the sixth-best number for the month since 1913.
The Nationals (7-5) did not play on Monday. They finished a 4-2 homestand with a win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
"Much needed off day for our bullpen, and then we've got a very, very tough road trip with the teams that we're playing, different time zones, getting in late," manager Dusty Baker said.
The road trip will take the Nationals to three cities and will likely see Baker taking some innovative approaches to giving players rest over the next 10 games.
"You'll see different lineups just trying to keep guys fresh," the manager said.
Atlanta (6-6) has won five straight and is coming off a four-game sweep of San Diego. The Braves beat the Padres 5-4 with a ninth-inning rally on Monday.
"We got back to .500," said Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman, who hit a pair of home runs on Monday. "That's a huge win for us right there, obviously coming into a huge series starting (Tuesday)."
The Braves got some good news on Monday when they said the right hamstring injury to catcher Tyler Flowers was not as severe as initially believed and probably won't require him to go on the disabled list. Flowers is hitting .407.
Atlanta outfielder Matt Kemp, sidelined since April 8 with a right hamstring strain, has resumed running, and he could return to action Wednesday.
"Hopefully we get Matt back in a couple days and we'll be in good shape here," Freeman said.
