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BAL@WSH: Strasburg fans eight over five frames

Heavy rain in Washington forced the first game in the Nationals and Braves three-game weekend series to be postponed Friday night. Both teams had Thursday off and should be extra rested when the series begins Saturday afternoon.

Going into the off-day, the Braves have played 33 games in 34 days and the Nationals have played 30 games in 31 days.

"Everybody needs an off-day here and there," Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman said. "Everybody gets some physical rest [Thursday] and then we go back out there."

The rainout allowed the Braves to skip left-hander Mike Minor, who has struggled in his last six starts. The Braves will throw right-hander Brandon Beachy on Saturday. The Nationals, meanwhile, will keep their rotation the same and use right-hander Stephen Strasburg on Saturday.

Strasburg and Beachy both pitched during the Nationals' three-game sweep of the Braves in Atlanta over Memorial Day weekend. Strasburg gave up four runs on six hits in five innings Saturday. Beachy allowed three runs on three hits in five innings the next night.

For the Nationals, the sweep was part of a 5-4 road trip they finished with a 5-3 loss to the Marlins on Wednesday. Manager Davey Johnson said though the Nats finished the trip with a winning record against three division rivals, having to place right-hander Ryan Mattheus and infielder Chad Tracy on the disabled list was tough.

"Hopefully we get a little healthy by Friday, but this has been a rough road trip," Johnson said Wednesday. "It's the guys we lost that hurt on this road trip."

Braves: Simmons set for Major League debut
• Shortstop Andrelton Simmons was called up from Double-A Mississippi on Thursday, with shortstop Tyler Pastornicky optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Simmons was set to make his Major League debut at shortstop and hitting seventh before the rainout Friday.

After announcing the promotion, general manager Frank Wren said Simmons did everything the Braves wanted him to do after sending him to the Minor Leagues at the end of Spring Training.

"He's a special talent," Wren said.

• Freeman returned to the lineup Wednesday night after missing the last four games with dry eyes that have made it impossible for him to wear contacts. Specially made prescription sports glasses arrived from Oakley on Wednesday, and Freeman quickly made up for lost time.

Freeman hit a home run in his first at-bat with the new glasses, and he went 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBIs. He said he was pleased to do so well after spending a few days on the bench.

"I was surprised about how I haven't played in a few days and I was able to have a swing like that," Freeman said. "I wasn't really worried about the glasses."

• The calendar flipped to June on Friday, but Martin Prado made May a month to remember, hitting .398 and scoring 19 runs. In 28 games last month, he raised his batting average 61 points and had 14 multihit games.

Prado celebrated the end of May by going 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs in the Braves' 10-7 victory Wednesday.

Nationals: Morse ready to make season debut
• The Nats activated outfielder Michael Morse from the disabled list Friday. He has been sidelined all year with a torn left lat muscle.

Morse's return is expected to provide an immediate boost to the Nationals. Morse hit .303 with 31 home runs last season. He was slated to hit cleanup and play right field Friday night.

• Right-hander Henry Rodriguez slammed his right index finger in a door and had to wear a protective sleeve Wednesday. Rodriguez probably would not have been able to pitch Friday.

• Outfielder Bryce Harper went 0-for-4 on Wednesday night, snapping his nine-game hitting streak in Washington's loss.

Worth noting
• The Nationals have won five straight games against the Braves, dating back to last September.

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