Remember the "full court press edition" of 3 to Watch from last week?
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/danny-knobler/19785664/3-to-watch:-the-'full-court-press'-editionThere's a new 3 to Watch this week and it seems so different from just a week ago.
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/danny-knobler/19831520/3-to-watch-the-biggest-series-braves-nats-in-79-years-editionA week ago it was:
They began that 17-game stretch 4 1/2 games behind the Nationals. They ended it 4 1/2 games behind the Nationals, who had an eight-game winning streak snapped on Sunday afternoon against the Diamondbacks. And sure enough, when the Nationals finally lost, the Braves lost, too, Sunday night against the Mets, so they begin this week 4 1/2 games behind the Nats.
The Braves and Nationals meet next week in Washington, for three of their six remaining head-to-head games. The Braves lead into that series with seven home games against the Padres and Dodgers, while the Nationals play three games in San Francisco and three at home against the Mets.
The Braves would love to come to Washington with maybe two games separating the two teams atop the NL East.
This week it's:
And yet . . . this series really is more crucial for the Braves than it is for the Nats.
The Braves begin the series five games back, knowing that if they don't start closing that gap soon, the Nationals may never really feel any pressure.
The Braves know that they have gained a full game on the Nationals on just one of the first 19 days of August. They know that after Wednesday, they'll have just three head-to-head chances to make up ground, and they know that at this point it's hard to count on the Nationals losing too many games against anyone else.
