The Braves will be facing an old friend once again today as they attempt to rectify last night’s messy loss to their in-division opponents.
Anibal Sanchez will be on the mound today to face his old team after injuring his hamstring last month. Sanchez was a big part of the Braves success in 2018 and has been very good for the Nationals lately.
His opponent will be Mike Foltynewicz who is attempting to continue working back towards his old self. Folty has been able to cut down on his walks this year, but a spike in home runs allowed has really hurt him. He’s allowing nearly 2.5 per nine innings after allowing just 0.51 per nine in 2018. It isn’t great timing either as the Nationals have a bunch of power in their lineup. Folty is coming off of what might be his best start of the season to date as he allowed just one run to the Phillies in a blowout win at home.
Sanchez on the other hand is having problems of his own as his groundball rates have dropped drastically from last season and his hard contact allowed is on the way up. He is also walking four batters per game this year after having pinpoint control with the Braves last season. Sanchez owns a 3.84 ERA but his 4.53 FIP suggests he’s been quite lucky.
The Braves really need to turn up the intensity today as it looks like Washington is becoming their biggest threat in the NL East. The Nationals have gone 18-7 since late May and have won their last five contests. Today’s game is nationally televised on FOX so make sure to adjust your sets accordingly.
Game Info
Time/Date: Saturday, June 22, 7:15 pm ET
Location: Nationals Park - Washington, D.C.
TV: FOX
Streaming: MLB.tv, FOXsportsGO app
Radio: 680 AM/93.7 FM, Rock 100.5, Braves Radio Network