Overview

• The series opener at Truist Park is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET in the teams’ second Sale–Gore matchup in a week.
• Atlanta is 73-83 and out of the playoffs for the first time since 2017 after a season marred by injuries.
• Chris Sale worked eight scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in last week’s meeting and remains winless in his career against Washington.
• MacKenzie Gore recently returned from a short IL stint for shoulder inflammation, has a 1.74 ERA in two starts since, and is being monitored for workload, according to interim manager Miguel Cairo.
• The Braves’ eight-game streak features a plus-40 run differential (61-21), while Washington adjusted its lineup for Sale by sitting James Wood, using CJ Abrams at DH, and leading off Nasim Nunez at shortstop.