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The Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves Kick Off a weekend series

 

The Washington Nationals entered the All-Star break at the .500 mark for the first time in six years. Though it’s an accomplishment for the long-struggling franchise, that pace likely won’t catch the Atlanta Braves for a playoff spot.

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The NL East rivals begin a three-game set Friday night at Turner Field to open the season’s second half.

Washington (46-46) hasn’t been even at the break since starting 52-36 in 2005 - the team’s first season in the nation’s capital after moving from Montreal. Still, the Nationals are eight games behind Atlanta (54-38), which currently leads the wild-card race.

Ryan Zimmerman ended the first half on a six-game hitting streak after going 1 for 3 in Sunday’s 2-0 win against Colorado.

That quest continues against Braves starter Tim Hudson (8-6, 3.57 ERA), winner of two straight starts.

Hudson improved to 4-1 with a 2.41 ERA in his last six outings after allowing three runs in 7 1-3 innings of a 6-3 win over the Rockies on July 7. He’s helped anchor a pitching staff which ranks second in baseball with a 3.11 ERA, especially noteworthy given Atlanta’s offense ranks 26th with a .237 average after a 14-1 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday.

Hudson is 11-3 with a 2.00 ERA in 20 career starts against Washington but has split two outings this season. He beat the Nationals 11-2 on April 3 after allowing one run and three hits through seven innings, but fell May 10 when he gave up seven runs - three earned - in five innings of a 7-6 defeat.

Morse, Werth and the rest of the Nationals will look to support starter Livan Hernandez (5-8, 4.01).

Hernandez pitched far better March 31 against Atlanta, though he took the loss after giving up two runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings.

This start will be Hernandez’s 34th against the Braves - tied for his second-most against any opponent. He’s 4-2 with a 2.73 ERA in his last nine starts versus Atlanta, but 7-17 with a 4.77 ERA lifetime.

It will be interesting to see what teams starts the second half of the season off with a victory.