The Skinny: I feel like a broken record: The Washington Nationals lost again tonight. The Nationals have lost 15 of their last 17 games and are showing no signs of righting the ship. They fell tonight in Atlanta to the Braves 7-3. Washington is now 5-15 on the season.
The Pitching: Matt Chico started for the Nationals and really struggled against the Atlanta hitters. Chico lasted only 4 innings and gave up all six Atlanta runs, putting the Nats in a 6-0 hole. The Braves scored 1 in the 1st, 3 in the 2nd, and 2 in the third inning off of Chico. He threw a scoreless 4th before being pulled. Chico is now 0-4 on the season.
The Hitting: For a team that scored only three runs today the Nats sure racked up some hits. They pounded out 13 hits (10 singles) and Braves starter Tim Hudson was in trouble most of the game. Cristian Guzman had three hits for the Nationals including a double. Ryan Zimmerman, Austin Kearns, and Johnny Estrada each had two hits.
What’s Next?: The Nats will continue their series with the Braves. John Lannan (0-2) will start for the Nationals against John Smoltz of the Braves. Game time is 7pm and the Nats will head back to Washington DC after the game to start a home series against the Mets.