The Braves aim to curb the surge of National League Player of the Week Daylen Lile as the two clubs begin a two‑game series in Washington on Tuesday.
Lile, who captured NL Player of the Week honors for the week ending August 30, continued his momentum with back‑to‑back two‑run homers, helping the Nationals rally for a 6‑3 victory over the Miami Marlins on Monday.
Washington captured three of four games against Miami but suffered a ninth‑inning bullpen collapse on Sunday that kept a sweep from happening.
Atlanta’s seven‑game winning streak came to an end Monday, falling 7‑3 to the visiting San Francisco Giants in a makeup contest that was postponed in June.
The Braves (82‑56) hold a four‑game lead in the NL East over the Philadelphia Phillies (78‑60).
Braves right‑hander A.J. Smith‑Shawver (0‑0, 5.93 ERA) will face Nationals counterpart Jake Irvin (2‑8, 5.62) on Tuesday.
Smith‑Shawver, on his fourth start of the season after Tommy John surgery, logged five innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers last Wednesday, yielding three runs on five hits while striking out three and walking three in a 6‑5 Atlanta victory.
“I’m pretty happy with how it went,” Smith‑Shawver said. “Every outing you can always look back and wish you had a pitch or two back, but it’s a great team win.”
He is 1‑0 with a 4.40 ERA in three career starts versus Washington.
Irvin has compiled a 0‑4 record and 6.30 ERA in six starts since returning from the injured list.
On Thursday, Irvin struggled with his control, allowing a single run on three hits over 4 1/3 innings while issuing six walks and striking out six, though he threw 94 pitches in a 7‑1 Rockies victory.
“He had six walks and a hit by pitch but managed to limit the damage and pitch out of it many times, which isn’t easy to do,” Nationals manager Blake Butera remarked.
Irvin holds a 3‑4 record with a 4.08 ERA in ten career starts against Atlanta. He recorded five hitless innings to defeat the Braves on May 23 before exiting with shoulder tightness that led to an IL stint for a right shoulder strain.
On Monday night, the Nationals (66‑74) trailed Miami 3‑2 before Lile launched his second home run of the game, a long blast in the seventh inning.
Lile posted a .458 average (11‑for‑24) last week, hitting three homers and driving in ten runs. He already added two homers and four RBIs this week, marking his fourth multi‑home‑run game of the season.
“Just staying within myself,” said Lile, who leads the league with 20 homers and 80 RBIs this season. “I trust everything I’m doing before the game, and coming here to have fun playing the sport I love while trusting my approach.”
In contrast to Sunday’s collapse, Washington’s bullpen shut the door on the contest. Erik Tolman earned his first career save, delivering a scoreless eighth and ninth inning with four strikeouts, including escaping a bases‑loaded, no‑out jam in the eighth.
Nationals infielder C.J. Abrams, who is dealing with back tightness, was scratched from Monday’s game, while outfielder James Wood (oblique) is slated for another rehab appearance before rejoining the lineup.
In Atlanta, the Braves have lost five of their last six contests against the Giants this season. Meanwhile, Braves outfielder Michael Harris II hit his 23rd home run.
“We didn’t get any timely hits offensively,” Braves manager Walt Weiss commented. “We’ll just wash that one off and get on the plane.”
