Last night, the world watched as Tim Hudson outdueled The Best Pitcher Who Ever Lived, Stephen Strasburg. Tonight, well... I'm pretty sure ESPN won't even have a highlight of this game unless there's a no-hitter, cycle, or 4-homer game. The pitching matchup is decidedly lackluster: Derek Lowe vs. Craig Stammen. This will be Stammen's first start since being called up from AAA. In an earlier stint with the big club, he went 1-2 with a 5.43 ERA.
Interestingly, this is a rematch of a game from last August 12th (Stammen's only career start against the Braves). In that game, Stammen pitched well, giving up only 2 runs on 4 hits in 6 innings. Both runs scored on solo homers by players no longer on the team--Adam LaRoche and Garret Anderson. The Braves did go on to win that game, by a score of 6-2, after the Nationals' bullpen imploded. Lowe gave up 2 runs in 7 innings to get the win.
I'd take a repeat performance from Lowe in a second, though of course I'd rather we hit Stammen better this time around. Here's the Braves' lineup (it should look familiar):
1) Prado, 2B
2) Melky, RF
3) Chipper, 3B
4) McCann, C
5) Glaus, 1B
6) Hinske, LF
7) Yunel, SS
8) Blanco, CF
9) Lowe, SP
Matt Diaz is with the team, but since Stammen is right-handed, Matt's not starting.