Tuesday will bring both good and bad news.
The good news: baseball is back! The Braves have not played in nearly four days and it seems like so much longer with the team playing well. The rest may have done some good for Jason Heyward, Chipper Jones, the bullpen, and others, but it sucks for the fans. Fortunately, it will resume Tuesday evening at Turner Field.
The bad news: The Washington Nationals are the opponent. Yes, the same Washington Nationals who have the crazy idea that their 18 or so games a season with the Braves count as their World Series and they must do whatever they can to pull out a victory. It's frustrating to consistently struggle against a lesser team, yet it seems to continue year after year.
Hopefully that ends this week. We've got a playoff spot to clinch, after all.
Here is a closer look at the 62-70 Nationals, who have lost six straight games.
Mor(s)e isn't always less:
Michael Morse has always been capable of becoming one of the better hitters in the National League, but it wasn't until 2011 when he finally broke out. The first baseman has been Washington's best hitter this season and leads the team in home runs, RBIs, BA, OBP, SLG, and wRC+. Be careful of him in this series.
If there is a downside to his play, it would be his defense. While he is nowhere near Adam Dunn's level of awfulness, he ranks near the bottom of the league in first baseman in terms of range and runs saved. Hopefully Atlanta can shoot a couple of well-hit balls his way in the series.
Pitching Matchups:
Tuesday, 7:10 p.m. EDT -- Jair Jurrjens vs. Livan Hernandez -- PeachTree TV, Fox Sports South
Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. EDT -- Derek Lowe vs. John Lannan -- PeachTree TV, Fox Sports South
Thursday, 7:10 p.m. EDT -- Tim Hudson vs. Chien-Ming Wang -- Fox Sports South
On the verge of history:
Craig Kimbrel has 40 saves. One more and he sets the all-time rookie record for saves in a season. Let's take care of that accolade nice and early on Tuesday night, eh, Craig?