Gio Gonzalez aims for his first victory in over a month when the Washington Nationals try to expand their lead in the NL East by playing the Atlanta Braves in the rubber match of a three-game series tonight at Turner Field. Catch the game on TSN2 starting at 8pm et/5pm pt. The teams will be playing on short rest, as last nights contest, a 4-1 Washington win in 11 innings, didnt finish until close to 2:30 a.m. The start of the game was delayed 3 hours, 41 minutes by rain, and more wet weather is in the forecast today and tonight. Winners in three of their last four games, the Nationals hold a 4 1/2-game lead on the Braves for first place. Gonzalez, though, hasnt been victorious since July 5 against the Chicago Cubs. The lefty is 0-4 in a five-start span since then. Hes given up nine runs covering his last two starts, a span of 9 2/3 innings, in losses to the Phillies and Mets. Hes 2-7 with a 5.31 ERA in 10 career starts against the Braves and has dropped his last six decisions against them. Alex Wood, who is 0-2 over his last three starts, counters for the Braves. The lefty has allowed one earned run in each of his last two appearances, but the Braves havent given him any run support. He is 1-1 with a 1.57 ERA in four starts versus Washington. Last night, Wilson Ramos hit a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the 11th inning to help the Nationals to victory. Anthony Rendon and Adam LaRoche singled against David Carpenter (4-2) to start the 11th before Ian Desmond lined out to left. James Russell replaced Carpenter and walked Bryce Harper to load the bases with one out. Anthony Varvaro then came on for Russell and Ramos fisted a base hit into shallow center to plate Rendon. Kevin Frandsen followed with a slicing double down the right-field line that scored LaRoche and Harper to give the Nationals a 4-1 lead. "Its a big win based off the fact its two teams just competing the heck out of each other," said Frandsen. Ramos was thrown out at the plate by Freddie Freeman on the play after he was unable to catch Jason Heywards cutoff throw from right. Ramos was initially ruled safe, but the play was overturned following a challenge. Tyler Clippard (7-2) got the win for tossing a scoreless 10th and Rafael Soriano notched his 26th save of the year after blanking Atlanta in the 11th. Nationals starter Tanner Roark struck out six and allowed a run on six hits and three walks over seven innings. LaRoche smacked a solo homer among his three hits in the triumph. Freeman was 3-for-4 for Atlanta, which has dropped nine of its last 10 games. Braves starter Aaron Harang surrendered a run on seven hits and two walks over seven frames in defeat. "Its tough," said Harang. "Especially against a team we know were trying to make up ground on." Washingtons Denard Span enters today with a 13-game hitting streak. The Braves lead the season series, 8-4, and have won seven of the last nine matchups at Turner Field. Max Muncy Jersey .Ryan Anderson had 14 points for the Pelicans, who trailed 78-63 after three periods before trimming the deficit to 86-83. Jrue Holiday had 13 points and Eric Gordon added 12 for New Orleans.Mike Scott and Jeff Teague each had 11 points for Atlanta. Sandy Koufax Womens Jersey . Levante, which had lost five straight including a Copa del Rey game last weekend, fell behind at its Ciutat de Valencia stadium when Ionut Sapanura opened the scoring for Elche in the 26th minute. http://www.ladodgersprostore.us/Corey-Seager-dodgers-jersey/ . The team sent out a press release on Friday stating Poile was resting and recovering and that he will remain in hospital for further observation. The Predators were preparing for the game against the Wild when Poile was hit by a puck that flew off the ice at him where he was standing in a tunnel behind the bench. Kirk Gibson Youth Jersey . -- During a players meeting following the All-Star break, Jermaine ONeal promised his teammates to play the rest of the regular season like he would never play again -- because he very well might not. Sandy Koufax Dodgers Jersey . Malone will become an unrestricted free-agent and as per the collective bargaining agreement, the Lightning will be responsible for two-thirds of the remainder of his contract over twice the length of the rest of the deal.MIAMI -- Erik Spoelstra said he mentioned how daunting the task would be only once. Back in September, when the Miami Heat assembled to begin training camp, Spoelstra addressed his team about furthering its championship legacy and how rare it is for a team to find its way to the NBA Finals in four consecutive seasons. "Weve never brought it up since then," Spoelstra said. Itll get brought up now. The seed the Heat coach planted in the Bahamas at that training camp took root. The Heat are finals-bound -- for the fourth straight time. The sputtering stretches of play in March and April, surrendering the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs to Indiana, winning 12 fewer games in this regular season than a year ago, they all seem moot and meaningless now. The Heat have a chance at a third consecutive NBA title, with the finals starting Thursday night against San Antonio in a title-series rematch. "Its amazing to make it to one finals," Heat forward Shane Battier said. "To do it four times in a row for some of these guys, its a tremendous, tremendous accomplishment and it speaks volumes to the dedication, luck, and perseverance that you need to do it." Spoelstra spoke of that luck factor when he gathered his team for a locker-room huddle moments after the celebration started Friday night, after Miami wrapped up its fourth straight East crown with a 117-92 win over Indiana to win the series in six games. His words were interrupted twice by LeBron James, which nobody minded. "We dont take this for granted," Spoelstra said. "No, sir," James added, nodding. "We do not take it for granted," Spoelstra repeated. "No way," James interjected. "How tough it actually is and how many things have to go our way," Spoelstra continued. "Four times, you guys who havent been here with us the whole time, you guys inherit everything that weve experienced." Only six current Heat players appeared in the 2011 post-season, Miamis first of the "Big 3" era and the last in which it actually lost a series. James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers, James Jones and Udonis Haslem are the last holdovers. Battier and Norris Cole arrived after the 2011 finals loss. Ray Allen, Chris Andersen and Rashard Lewis -- all playing huge roles these days for Miami -- came after the first title run of this Heat era in 2012.dddddddddddd The core of last seasons title squad, with the exception of amnestied Mike Miller, was back to try it again this time around. Even with all that talent, with that championship experience, Spoelstra knew a tone had to be immediately set when the season began. "What I was really encouraged about was our attendance and commitment in training camp in the Bahamas," Spoelstra said. "Right from there, and we communicated during the summer that, if were real about this, about how difficult that journey is, that you cannot shortcut, that we would show it immediately in training camp." Theyre still showing it now. Miami is 12-3 in these playoffs, 8-0 at home, and has won a road game in 15 straight post-season series. The Heat will need to extend that streak to win the NBA Finals; the Spurs will hold home-court advantage. "Obviously, going through the weeks and weeks and weeks and grinding months of a regular season, it was a toll on all of us," James said. "But I felt like down the stretch, if we could get healthy, we could get everyone in uniform and have our full strength, it didnt matter what seed we were. I felt like we can represent the Eastern Conference again in the finals if we had the health, and we were able to accomplish that." At times, like Friday night, they make winning look easy. Collectively, they insist its much harder than it appears. "You still have to go out and do it every single night," Allen said. "Its the toughest thing Ive ever done and I guarantee the guys in this locker room would say the same thing." Only the Lakers and Celtics have appeared in four straight finals, with Boston (1984-87) the last to do so. Wade was 5 when that run ended, James was 2, and Cole, Michael Beasley and Greg Oden hadnt even been born. Now the Heat are in that club. And regarding what Spoelstra said in that first-day conversation, the point of his words then has become perfectly clear to his team now. "Having a chance to win is always a special thing," Bosh said. "We always talk about not taking it for granted from Day One. We know its a very long season. It has its rewards in the end if we stick together and do what were supposed to do. But it hasnt really hit us yet. I would rather it hit me in two weeks." ' ' '