None of that has slowed Atlanta down. At 81-55, the Braves are running away with the NL East regardless of who's on the injured list, while Washington sits well under .500 and is playing out the string with next year in mind. That gap in stakes will still be sitting there when these two get going Wednesday, September 2, at 1:05 PM ET.
Atlanta's form has been about as good as it gets: after closing out a sweep of the Dodgers, the Braves had won five straight through Saturday, August 29, adding two more over Colorado along the way. Washington's put together a smaller run of its own, having taken the first two from Miami on the way to three wins in a row through that same Saturday. But both clubs still have games to play before this one — Atlanta hosts Colorado and San Francisco, Washington closes out its set with Miami — and the two teams meet again Tuesday, September 1, the night before this game, so whatever form either side is carrying into Wednesday could look different by the time it actually gets here.
Whatever happens Tuesday, Wednesday's game is really about margins at this point — whether Washington's patchwork rotation and returning bullpen arms can keep it competitive against a team that's cruising, or whether Atlanta's lineup turns a get-right afternoon into another laugher. Either way, the difference between a division leader playing out August and a rebuilding club looking toward next season says most of what needs saying about this one.