Atlanta Braves vs Washington Nationals Series Preview: Nats look to snap three-game skid

Braves (27-34) vs. Nationals (38-24) Series Info:

Game 1: Monday, June 12 at 7:05 p.m. EST (MASN/106.7 The Fan)

Game 2: Tuesday, June 13 at 7:05 p.m. EST (MASN/106.7)

Game 3: Wednesday, June 14 at 4:05 p.m. EST (MASN/106.7)

Pitching Matchups:

Monday: Mike Foltynewicz (4-5, 3.48 ERA) vs. Stephen Strasburg (7-2, 2.80)

Tuesday: R.A. Dickey (4-4, 4.73) vs. Joe Ross (3-2, 6.16)

Wednesday: Julio Teheran (5-4, 5.08) vs. Tanner Roark (6-3, 3.87)

What to watch for:

Nats bullpen takes a hit

After a brief period of stability, the Nationals’ bullpen has fallen back to Earth — or its version of it — and is once again costing the team wins.

Now, closer Koda Glover has landed on the 10-Day Disabled List after tweaking his back reaching for his body wash in the shower.

Matt Albers and his 1.08 ERA will presumably handle ninth-inning duties moving forward, but the arms that will be pitching ahead of him are anything but reliable at this point.

Where did Bryce Harper go?

Bryce Harper entered play May 17 with a .388 batting average, challenging Ryan Zimmerman in his quest for the Triple Crown and assuring everybody that his 2016 season was a fluke.

Since then, however, Harper has managed to put together just one multi-hit game while watching his batting average drop over 60 points.

Without a home run since May 26, Harper will need to get things back together quickly if he hopes to help pull the Nats’ offense out of its recent slump.

NL East swing beguns

After their three-game series with Atlanta, the Nats will travel to New York for four with the Mets and then Miami to take on the Marlins for three.

The Mets currently find themselves in second place nine and a half games back and are the only team in the division not on an active losing streak.

Washington has beat up the NL East all season, owning a 17-10 record in inter-divisional play.

If they can get back on track against Atlanta, the Nationals have the opportunity to add to their already wide cushion in the division standings.

Who to watch out for: Tyler Flowers

David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

While Tyler Flowers was a respectable hitter in limited action last season (.777 OPS in 83 games), the Braves catcher has taken his approach to a new level so far in 2017.

Flowers enters play Monday boasting a .344/.449/.450 slash line with just 28 strikeouts in 43 games.

Although he doesn’t hit for much power, his 82.4 percent contact rate is the highest mark of his nine-year career.