Last night was a stinker, plain and simple, for the Nationals. They looked pretty lifeless during an 8-0 loss to the Braves. Afterward, they all insisted there was nothing to read into it, it was just a bad game and not a reflection of a team suffering from a letdown after Sunday's clincher.
We'll find out tonight if that's true, or if it really is tough to get yourself hyped up again when you've already clinched and still have three weeks of the regular season to go. It doesn't hurt to have the potential Cy Young Award winner on the mound, of course.
Max Scherzer
The Braves, meanwhile, send left-hander Luiz Gohara to the mound for only the second time in his major league career. The 21-year-old Brazilian burst through the minors this season, beginning at Single-A and now reaching the big leagues in September, so he's going to be more than a bit of an unknown. We'll see how he handles a veteran Nationals lineup.
ATLANTA BRAVES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 1500 AM, XM 186/869, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 78 degrees, wind 6 mph out to left field
NATIONALS (88-56)
SS Trea Turner
2B Wilmer Difo
3B Anthony Rendon
1B Ryan Zimmerman
LF Howie Kendrick
CF Michael A. Taylor
RF Jayson Werth
C Matt Wieters
RHP Max Scherzer
BRAVES (65-78)
2B Ozzie Albies
SS Dansby Swanson
1B Freddie Freeman
LF Matt Kemp
RF Nick Markakis
C Tyler Flowers
3B Rio Ruiz
CF Lane Adams
LHP Luiz Gohara