Barring a collapse similar to the one the Braves suffered last September, the Washington Nationals appear well on their way to a National League East title. Following another win over Atlanta on Tuesday -- their fourth straight over their rivals to the south -- the Nationals now hold a commanding seven-game lead in the standings.
Hey, at least there's the wild card play-in game.
Stephen Strasburg was the star tonight, striking out 10 batters in just six innings of work. He surrendered just one run on a sacrifice fly from Freddie Freeman, scattering a total of four hits and one walk while on the mound.
Paul Maholm tossed seven frames on Tuesday. Similar to recent starts, he was only done in by the long ball. Maholm gave up a solo homer to Ian Desmond in the second inning, followed by a crushing three-run blast from backup catcher Jesus Flores to make it 4-0.
The Braves put runners on the corners with no outs in the ninth, only to swing at the next three pitches and make three outs.
The two clubs will meet again for the series finale on Wednesday evening at 7:05 ET.