The set-up: It's first (Washington leads the NL East at 67-47) vs. worst (Atlanta's 44-72 record is not only the worst in the NL East but also the worst in all of MLB) when the Nats host the Braves on Saturday. However, it was the sad-sack Braves who won 8-5 last night, KO'ing 15-game winner Stephen Strasburg (allowed six runs in 5 1/3 innings). The Braves victory snapped a 14-game losing streak at Nationals Park, giving Atlanta seven wins in its last 10 games. Want a larger sample size? The Braves are 26-26 in their past 52 games. That's .500 baseball, after starting 18-46 (.281)

The pitching matchup: A pair of 22-year-old rookies will each be making their third starts tonight, as Atlanta's Rob Whalen (1-0, 5.73 ERA) squares off against Washington's Reynaldo Lopez (0-1, 9.35 ERA). Whalen had a poor MLB debut, giving up four runs (all in the first inning) in five innings of an 8-4 win over Pittsburgh. After giving up four walks in that first outing, he bounced back to strike out seven with just one walk in seven innings but settled for a no decision in a 4-3 win (he allowed three ERs). Lopez is said to be the No. 3 prospect in Washington's organization but he gave up six runs on 10 hits with nine strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings during his major-league debut July 19 against the Dodgers. He then walked five in his other start July 30 at San Francisco but limited the Giants to three runs on four hits. Lopez went 5-6 with a 3.17 ERA in 18 starts in Double and Triple-A stints this season.

The pick: We haven't seen enough of these two pitchers to make them a factor, so will back the much better team, looking to rebound off last night's ‘spanking.' The Braves have played much better over the summer (see above) but they still own the worst record in the majors, while the Nationals sit atop the NL East with only the Cubs owning a better record in the entire National League. Also, let's not ignore that the Nats have won 14 of their last 15 at home vs. the Braves. Washington is an 8* play.