WASHINGTON (Interstat) — The Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals, two teams long eliminated from postseason contention, open a three-game series at Nationals Park on Monday night to begin the final two weeks of the regular season.

The Braves (66-83) arrive in the nation’s capital after salvaging the finale of a three-game set with Houston, an 8-3 victory on Sunday. Ozzie Albies drove in three runs and catcher Sandy León hit a three-run homer to power the Atlanta offense. Joey Wentz earned the win with a four-inning relief appearance.

Despite the win, Atlanta has struggled, losing seven of its last 10 games. The club was outscored 47-13 in a three-game sweep by Seattle from Sept. 6-7.

The Nationals (62-87) are also coming off a series win, taking two of three from Pittsburgh. Washington edged the Pirates 4-3 on Sunday, with Paul DeJong providing a key RBI. Pitchers Cade Cavalli and Clayton Beeter combined for six innings of four-hit ball.

Washington has shown signs of life lately, winning five of its last eight contests.

The season series between the two NL East rivals has been tightly contested. The clubs split a six-game set in May, with the home team winning five of those contests. The Nationals took the most recent meeting 8-7 on May 22.

Projections for the series opener are split. Interstat’s game simulator predicts a 6-3 victory for Washington. However, the same outlet’s ELO rating system gives Atlanta a 55.2% probability to win. Betting markets have installed the Braves as a -1.5 run favorite with an over/under of 9.

Following this series, both teams have a quick turnaround. They will play a doubleheader on Tuesday to make up a prior postponement before concluding the three-game set on Wednesday. The clubs will meet again for another three-game series in Atlanta next week to close out their 2025 season series.

Starting pitchers for Monday’s contest were not announced.