The Atlanta Braves are on a determined march toward 100 wins and securing home-field advantage in the playoffs, and their series against the Washington Nationals this weekend might just contribute to that goal.

 

After a convincing 10-3 victory in the series opener, the National League East champions (98-55) are seeking to secure consecutive wins for the first time in over a week. Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies, who had an impressive performance, stated, “I play hard no matter what. Keep playing hard since the first day I played baseball.”

 

Ozzie Albies, with 103 RBIs this season, is one of the driving forces behind the Braves’ success, and manager Brian Snitker acknowledged his significance to the team, saying, “What he brings is so vital to the whole lifeline of the whole club.”

The Nationals (68-86) are keen to observe how the Braves operate during the remainder of the series as they aim to learn and improve for the next season.

 

On Friday night, the Braves will start right-hander Charlie Morton (14-12, 3.66 ERA), who is seeking his first win this month after a strong finish to August. Morton has faced the Nationals 15 times in his career, posting a 6-6 record and a 4.75 ERA. Although he hasn’t faced Washington this year, he secured two victories against them last year.

 

The Nationals will counter with left-hander Patrick Corbin (10-13, 5.00 ERA), who delivered a solid performance in his previous outing against the Brewers but has struggled to secure home victories recently. Corbin faced the Braves once this season, taking a loss, and has a 6-11 record with a 4.32 ERA in 22 appearances (20 starts) against Atlanta.

 

The Nationals are hopeful that Cory Abbott’s 4 2/3 innings of relief work in the series opener will benefit the bullpen, which will be needed later in the series, according to Washington manager Dave Martinez.