Heading into this series, the Atlanta Braves had gotten so close to enjoying the taste of being a .500 (or better) club but were seemingly so far away from actually pulling it off. In fact, that taste turned bitter after they were turned away over the course of three games by a struggling Pittsburgh Pirates team. As such, the Braves were coming back home from that quick trip to Pittsburgh on a bit of a down note.
Fortunately, they had the Washington Nationals waiting on them once they returned. While the Nationals weren’t running as poorly as the Pirates had been heading into that weekend series, Washington wasn’t doing too hot once this series rolled around.