Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals: A Statement Series for Both Teams

This weekend's series between the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals is a statement series for both teams.

The Braves come into the series having been swept by the Reds and still dealing with the injury to Chipper Jones, and the flu that Brian McCann has been dealing with.

Add in there that the Braves are going to face even better pitching in the Nationals than they faced against the Reds, and you get some cause for concern.

The Nationals have won three of their last four, including two over the Phillies and are looking very strong.

The teams have yet to face each other this year, so this series is by no means a make-or-break series for either team.

The most the Nationals can lead the division by after this series is four games, while the Braves can lead by two games at most.

So, it's not like the results of this series will cause much concern for either team, regardless of what happens.

What this series does, however, is that it gives both teams a chance to make a statement at who will be the team to beat in the National League East.

Both teams have looked strong thus far, and are looking to continue doing so.

Tonight's matchup is Tim Hudson versus Ross Detwiler, while Saturday will see Mike Minor against Stephen Strasburg, and Sunday's game being Brandon Beachy versus Gio Gonzalez.

The Braves look to have the advantage tonight with Hudson on the mound, while the Nats have an advantage Saturday.

Sunday is the key game of the series, as both team's will be sending out pitchers who should be on the National League All-Star team.

So, it then comes down to hitting.

For the Braves, when everyone is healthy and in the lineup, they're very hard to beat.

But, Chipper Jones has been out with a leg bruise, Brian McCann has had the flu and Freddie Freeman has had vision problems.

I can't stress enough how much we need these guys in the lineup.

The Braves have managed without Jones, but McCann and Freeman are key. If the Braves hope to take at least two of the three games, then they need both these guys to be healthy.

One player who's had no problem with health this year is Michael Bourn, who showed his power in Cincinnati.

If he can continue his hot streak, he'll be in scoring position for Martin Prado and whoever is in the middle of the order.

For the Nationals, it's hard to believe they've had the success that they've had despite their hitting woes.

Other than Adam LaRoche, no player has really showed any power, although Bryce Harper is showing some nice ability to hit into the gaps.

But, they're still finding a way to get things done...mainly because of their pitching.

In the end, I see the second and third games of the series being one- or two-run games.

My hope is that the Braves can sweep the series (obviously), but I'll take two of three instead.