WASHINGTON -- Gavin Floyd had never heard the name of the piece of bone he broke inside his elbow. Equanimeous St. Brown Stitched Jersey . Manager Fredi Gonzalez didnt even try to pronounce it. But no matter how you say "olecranon," it spells more bad news for the Atlanta Braves pitching staff. Floyd, recently recovered from elbow ligament replacement surgery, fractured the bony tip of the forearm bone that sticks out behind the elbow when he threw a curveball to lead off the seventh inning of Thursday nights 3-0 win over the Washington Nationals. "It was fine until that last pitch," Floyd said. "I felt a pop." Its the latest setback for an injury-riddled staff that lost starters Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy and reliever Cory Gearrin to Tommy John surgery during spring training, upending a major plank in the Braves plans to repeat as NL East champions. "Its been a tough one, ever since spring training," third baseman Chris Johnson said. "But weve got to keep moving forward. Hopefully its nothing too bad and we can get him back soon." Floyd will return to Atlanta on Friday to be examined by team doctors. The injury is so rare that the Braves couldnt provide even a guess of a timetable for his return. A similar injury ended the career of Detroit Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya in 2010. "In the big picture, I think hes going to be OK," Gonzalez said. Floyd flexed his pitching arm awkwardly after the fateful pitch, which turned into a long foul ball by Jayson Werth down the left field line. After an examination by the Braves trainer on the mound, Floyd left the game for reliever Anthony Varvaro. "It was a weird spot," Floyd said. "It was a little sore before, but not in the area that I had surgery." Floyd (2-2) was making his ninth start since recovering from Tommy John surgery, but Gonzalez said the two injuries are not related. "What a shame," Gonzalez said. "The guy comes all the way back from Tommy John. ... I feel for the young man." Floyd had been working on a two-hit shutout. He threw only 64 pitches, walking one and striking out six to drop his ERA to 2.65 in his first season with Atlanta. "Thats the best Ive seen him look," Johnson said. "For those first six innings, he was dealing, he was nasty, so thats really a tough break." Floyds career record is 72-72 over 11 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox and Braves. "I felt like I was getting better and better, so its definitely disappointing," Floyd said. "Definitely not what I envisioned to happen. I havent had any pain since the surgery." The win moved the Braves within a half-game of the first-place Nationals atop the NL East as the division rivals opened a four-game series. Atlanta had been trending downward recently, losing eight of 12 entering the series. Johnson drove in all three of the Braves runs, two on a bases-loaded single in the fourth and another on a line drive that smacked reliever Jerry Blevins left knee in the eighth. Blevins was examined by the Nationals trainer but remained in the game to face one more batter. Jordan Zimmermann (5-4), coming off consecutive complete games, had his second straight hard-luck start for the Nationals. He lost 1-0 to Lance Lynn and the St. Louis Cardinals last Friday, and this time he allowed only two runs and seven hits through seven innings. Zimmermann has also had Tommy John surgery and naturally empathized with Floyd. "You never want another pitcher to get injured. I dont know what really happened," Zimmermann said. "Obviously, it was bad enough for him to come out of the game. Hopefully, hell be all right." NOTES: Evan Gattis extended his hitting streak to 18 games -- the longest active streak in the majors and best ever by a Braves catcher. ... Craig Kimbrel picked up his 21st save for the Braves, who have won 23 of 30 against the Nationals. ... Nationals OF Bryce Harper took on-field batting practice before the game for the first time since undergoing thumb surgery last month. Hes expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment next week before re-joining the team in mid-July. . Nationals Manager Matt Williams said C Wilson Ramos (strained right hamstring) should be ready to re-join the team when eligible to come off of the DL June 26. Ramos will begin a rehab assignment over the weekend or the beginning of next week. . Braves OF Justin Upton was out of the starting lineup for the second straight game with an inner ear ailment causing dizziness, but he appeared as pinch-hitter in the eighth inning and grounded out. . The Braves placed RHP Pedro Beato on the DL with a sore right elbow. He was called up to the Braves earlier this week and pitched in relief both Tuesday and Wednesday. The Braves promoted RHP Juan Jaime from Triple-A Gwinnett, his first call-up to the majors. Throwback Packers Jerseys . Second-seeded Sloane Stephens of the United States made lighter work of her day as she beat 2009 champion and Swiss wild card Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 6-3. Two seeds fell: No. 4 Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium lost to Katarzyna Piter of Poland 6-4, 6-2, and No. JK Scott Stitched Jersey . On Saturday night, Winnipegs strong offense was again accompanied by some fantastic pitching which gave the Fish a commanding victory. http://www.officialpackersnflauthenticshop.com/josh-jackson-stitched-jersey/ . The former central defender calmly nodded it down and quietly went about celebrating a win with his staff. For a man who has had a lot on his shoulders this season, it was an appropriate moment.(SportsNetwork.com) - Guess whos back, back again? Josh Gordons back, tell a friend. In words similar to Eminems hit Without Me, the Cleveland Browns will welcome back the talented wide receiver this week after he served a 10-game, league-imposed suspension for violating the leagues substance-abuse policy. It may have felt empty without Gordon, but he will be back with the Browns when they visit the Atlanta Falcons Sunday at the Georgia Dome. Obviously Josh is a phenomenal player ... set records last year with only 14 games, so I think everybody has high expectations for him, Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer said. Gordon, who has stirred up controversy the past few months and was limited during his ban to strength and conditioning work at the teams facility, had his suspension reduced in September after the NFL and the NFL Players Association introduced the finalized agreement to changes in their substance abuse and performance enhancing substances policies. I just want to display some hard work and effort, not only me but try to get that atmosphere throughout the rest of the team and have us be in a position that the city of Cleveland hasnt been in a long time, Gordon said. Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is trying to beat Gordon to that. Beset by off-the-field problems since his college days, Gordon led the NFL with 1,646 yards on 87 catches during a breakout campaign last season, setting Browns season records for receiving yards and 100-yard receiving games (7) as well as a new NFL mark for most yards receiving over a four-game stretch (774). While many believe the return of Gordon will inject life back into Cleveland, Hoyer said to let things fall into place. I think the biggest thing I can tell you guys is look, we all know what Josh is capable of, but lets not put all this pressure on him that hes going to be this savior, Hoyer said. We all have to play better on offense. We have to be more consistent. Hoyer and the Browns are coming off Sundays 23-7 home loss to the Houston Texans. The Browns had won three straight and five of six games, but are still in the hunt for an AFC North title at 6-4. Pittsburgh is on the bye this week and sits atop the division at 7-4. Cincinnati is next with a 6-3-1 record and both the Browns and Baltimore are even. Browns leading receiver Andrew Hawkins (601 yards, 2 TD) said he cant wait to have Gordon back even though he may not get as many targets. Head coach Mike Pettine is taking a cautionary approach. Josh is an elite receiver, hes proven that, but you have to be very smart with how you handle him, Pettine said. We really wont know until the week goes on where he is mentally, where he is physically, how ready he is, how hell be able to contribute to our offense ... We have to understand the circumstances. The Browns were decent enough on offense without Gordon, but came up empty versus the Texans. Now theyre scheduled to play two straight and four of the last six games away from home, starting Sunday against a dangerous Falcons team inside the Georgia Dome. The meaningful games come at the end of November and December, said Hoyer, who is 9-4 in 13 starts with Cleveland. Atlanta finally found success on the road in back-to-back wins at Tampa Bay and Carolina, and will try to stop a two-game home losing streak Sunday. The Falcons squeezed out a 19-17 win over the NFC South-rival Panthers last weekend, as Matt Bryant nailed a 44-yard field goal with about two minutes remaining in the game after Carolina stormed back behind two touchdown passes from Cam Newton. Matt Ryan passed for 268 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions for the Falcons, who are tied with New Orleans for the division lead at 4-6. Its been a different year for sure, but you play to be relevant in November and December, said Ryan. I think weve played pretty effective football and I think things are starting to come together here. Ryan led the Falcons on a 12-play, 54-yard drive to set up Bryants field goal and completed five passes for 43 yards during the march. Ryan also led the Falcons on a game-winning drive against the Buccaneers. The Falcons will have to get by without all-purpose back Antone Smith after he suffered a broken leg against Carolina. Smith had two rushing scores and three receiving TDs this season. Also, starting cornerback Robert Alford is expected to miss a few week because of a wrist injury. Robert McClain is expected to fill the void in the defensive backfield. I think Roberts got some experience over the last couple years. Last year with us, he ended up playing our nickel; hes going to now have to step in, for a short period of time, and play the corner position, Falcons head coach Mike Smith said. Roberts an experienced guy that sttudies the game extremely hard, and we anticipate that hell go out there and get the job done. Elite Packers Jerseys. Alford and safety Kemal Ishmael have three interceptions apiece this season. The Brown have dominated Atlanta all-time to the tune of 10-3, but lost the previous meeting by a 20-10 score on Oct. 10, 2010. Ryan threw for 187 yards and a touchdown on 16-of-28 passing, while Roddy White caught five passes for 101 yards and a score. Falcons defensive end Kroy Biermann returned an interception for a score in that one. Cleveland is 5-1 as the guest against the Falcons. WHAT TO WATCH FOR The Falcons are last in passing yards allowed at 281.2 yards per game and managed to survive against Carolina. Panthers rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin had 109 yards and a touchdown on nine catches, while tight end Greg Olsen finished with 61 yards. With Gordons return to the Browns and the Falcons minus a starting defensive back, Smith was asked if he thinks the receiver will be up to speed. Absolutely I do. Theyve stated that they want to get him out on the field as quickly as possible, Smith said. Hes a game changer; hes a guy that with ball in his hands he can make plays. So were anticipating that were going to get a full dose of him this week. Theyll also get plenty of looks at Hawkins, who leads Cleveland with 45 catches. Atlanta wont see running back Ben Tate, who was released Tuesday after reportedly not being happy with his playing time. Tate was third on the team with 333 yards, second with 106 carries and second in TDs with four. With all the transactions we make while constructing our roster, it will always be our intent to do what is best for our football team, Browns general manager Ray Farmer said in a statement on the clubs website. This move is no different and we wish Ben the best going forward. Terrence West leads the Browns with 408 yards on 112 carries and three scores, while Isaiah Crowell has a team-best five rushing scores and 358 yards on 78 touches. The Falcons are 24th in rushing yards allowed (122.2). Cleveland registered just 58 yards on the ground last week versus Houston. The Browns will be without two defensive stars in inside linebacker and leading tackler Karlos Dansby (73 tackles, 3 sacks) and outside LB Jabaal Sheard (36 tackles, 2 sacks). Dansby is expected to miss about a month of action with a knee injury sustained versus the Texans. Pettine said its a shame to lose Dansby because of his leadership both on and off the field, and for how well hed been playing in recent weeks. His intensity, energy and leadership will be missed for a few weeks. Craig Robertson is expected to step in for Dansby and call defensive plays, a tough job for anyone in this league. The guys love Craig. They love him, Browns defensive coordinator Jim ONeil said. Hes a guy that brings it every day. I love his energy. Sheard is most likely done for the season with an injured bone in his foot. Barkevious Mingo played alongside sack leader (6) Paul Kruger against the Texans and will take over for Sheard. Mingo has 29 tackles and one sack this season and posted seven stops Sunday. The Browns will have their hands full defensively against Falcons running back Steven Jackson and a host of others. They are 30th in run defense, allowing 142.1 yards per game. Cleveland is solid against the pass, giving up 230.2 yards per game, and has two players with at least four INTs: Tashaun Gipson (6) and Buster Skrine (4). Dont forget about Joe Haden or Donte Whitner either. Atlanta has Julio Jones and White to test Clevelands secondary. White surpassed the 10,000-yard receiving mark and is one touchdown shy of tying Michael Turner (61) for the franchise record. OVERALL ANALYSIS Sundays game has big playoff implications for both the Falcons and Browns, but its especially vital for the visitors. Atlanta can still lose and have life for a division title. A Cleveland loss in the jumbled AFC North creates an uncomfortable issue for Pettines team. The Falcons, though, wont lose Sunday and will win another close one behind Matty Ice. Ryan has led Atlanta to back-to-back road wins and will be in his own sandbox Sunday, as he sports a 38-11 record at the Dome. He is 17-9 in his career against the AFC. Our goal was to go to Carolina and get the win; we were able to get that accomplished, Smith said. It was hard fought, theres a lot of football to be played, but we are aware of where we are. Our goal is to continue to improve. Weve got some young guys that started getting significant playing time at different positions across the board. I think that theyre improving. I think everybody?s aware of what we need to do this week. Sports Network predicted outcome: Falcons 26, Browns 21 Cheap Diamondbacks JerseysCheap Braves JerseysCheap Orioles JerseysCheap Red Sox JerseysCheap Cubs JerseysCheap White Sox JerseysCheap Reds JerseysCheap Indians JerseysCheap Rockies JerseysCheap Tigers JerseysCheap Astros JerseysCheap Royals JerseysCheap Angels JerseysCheap Dodgers JerseysCheap Marlins Jerseys ' ' '