5* play on Washington Nationals.

The Atlanta Braves are still in search of their first win of the season after a 6-4 loss here in Washington in the opener of a four-game series against the Nationals yesterday. The Nats on the other hand have won four of their first five and should prove themselves to be worth the price in tonight's contest as well.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - The Nats hand the ball to Gio Gonzalez (2015: 11-8, 3.79) who won both of his starts versus Atlanta last season while allowing only a pair of runs on seven hits and five walks over 13 innings of work. He was 6-4 behind a 3.35 ERA home at Nationals Park for the season. The Braves counter with Jhoulys Chacin (2015: 2-1, 3.38 ERA) who has started irregularly for Colorado and Arizona over the past two seasons due to shoulder issues. He made only five appearances, four starts, for the D'backs last year compiling a 3.38 ERA and did not impress during spring training, yielding 28 hits and eight walks over 21 innings of work.

2. Atlanta's Inefficient Bats - The Braves' .206 batting average is the second worst mark in baseball for the season. Nick Markakis is responsible for eight of the team's 40 hits but he's just 2-for-12 in previous meetings with Gonzalez.

3. X-Factor - Daniel Murphy has been terrific since joining from the Mets going 8-for-17 (.471) with seven RBI in his first five games for the Nats.

Selection: This is a play on the Washington Nationals (5*)