Sanchez, Nationals to take on Soroka, Braves on Saturday

Washington Nationals (51-45, second in the NL East) vs. Atlanta Braves (59-40, first in the NL East)

Atlanta; Saturday, 7 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Nationals: Anibal Sanchez (5-6, 3.71 ERA) Braves: Mike Soroka (10-1, 2.24 ERA)

LINE: Braves favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 10 1/2 runs

BOTTOM LINE:

The Braves are 23-15 against the rest of their division. Atlanta ranks eighth in the majors in hitting with a .262 batting average, Freddie Freeman leads the team with an average of .296.

The Nationals are 28-19 against division opponents. Washington has a collective on-base percentage of .326, good for fourth in the National League. Juan Soto leads the team with a mark of .399. The Braves won the last meeting 4-3. Luke Jackson notched his fifth victory and Ronald Acuna Jr. went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI for Atlanta. Fernando Rodney took his third loss for Washington.

TOP PERFORMERS: Freeman leads the Braves with 25 home runs and is slugging .566. Ozzie Albies is 13-for-41 with five doubles, a triple and two RBIs over the last 10 games for Atlanta.

Anthony Rendon leads the Nationals with 20 home runs and has 66 RBIs. Victor Robles is 13-for-37 with five doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs over the last 10 games for Washington.

LAST 10 GAMES: Braves: 6-4, .250 batting average, 5.16 ERA, outscored by 12 runs

Nationals: 6-4, .280 batting average, 3.02 ERA, outscored opponents by 18 runs

Braves Injuries: Jacob Webb: 10-day IL (elbow), Darren O’Day: 60-day IL (forearm), Kevin Gausman: 10-day IL (foot), Max Fried: 10-day IL (blister), Grant Dayton: 10-day IL (toe).

Nationals Injuries: Austen Williams: 10-day IL (shoulder), Jonny Venters: 10-day IL (shoulder), Max Scherzer: 10-day IL (back), Justin Miller: 10-day IL (shoulder), Jeremy Hellickson: 60-day IL (shoulder), Koda Glover: 60-day IL (forearm).