Atlanta Braves vs Washington Nationals Preview
At 7:20 PM ET, the Nationals and Braves square off in an NL East matchup. This one is being played at Truist Park in Atlanta, and the Braves are the heavy favorites on the money line, with their odds sitting at -274. The Nationals have a money line payout of +222, and they will be looking to keep their two-game winning streak alive. Washington is 58-70 overall, while the Braves are 68-59.
Friday’s over/under line is sitting at 7.5 runs, and MASN will be televising this one. Chris Sale is starting for the Braves, while the Nationals are sending MacKenzie Gore to the mound.
Check out BetCoco for Atlanta Braves – Washington Nationals odds
Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals Trends and Key Stats
- Over the course of their previous five away games, the Nationals have recorded a 1-4 record, with a 2-3 performance on the runline.
- On the opposing side, the Braves have a 3-2 (SU) record, along with a 3-2 record in their last five home contests.
- In their last ten games as the favorite, the Braves have a record of 5-5 straight-up, and have gone 3-7 against the runline.
- Looking back at their last ten games as the underdog, the Nationals have a 4-6 straight-up record and a 5-5 record vs. the runline.
Atlanta Braves vs Washington Nationals Prediction
The Nationals’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Rockies, closing out their series with an 8-3 win. After allowing one run to the Rockies in the top of the first, the Nationals responded with two runs of their own. Washington went on to add another six runs in the 3rd inning.
Patrick Corbin put together a good start for the Nationals, going six innings and giving up just one earned run, and picking up the win. Washington’s offense was carried by Juan Yepez, who went 1/4 with a homer and three RBIs.
Washington is 58-70 overall, putting them 4th in the NL East, 16.5 games behind the Phillies for the division lead. The Nationals are 17-18 in divisional games this year. They head into today’s game having won two straight games and closed out their series vs. the Rockies with a win.
As the road team today, the Nationals are 28-37 this season, and they are just above .500 at home at 30-33. Washington has really struggled as the underdog this year, going 46-59, while they are just above .500 at 12-11 as the favorite. This season, their overall series record is 16-21-3, and they have an overall record of 4-6 across their last 10 games.
The Nationals are 72-56 against the run line this season. They have a run differential of -0.5 runs per game, and they have covered the run line in 38 of their 65 road games. They are 11-12 against the run line as the favorite and 61-44 as the underdog.
The Nationals are on the road against the Braves today, and the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs. Their games have averaged 9.0 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 64-59. The average over/under line for their games is 9 runs, and they have a 14-8 record when the line is set at 7.5 runs. In total, 104 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs, accounting for 81.2% of their games this season.
Left-hander MacKenzie Gore gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Braves on the road. This year, he has made 25 starts and has a record of 7-11 with a 4.66 ERA. Gore’s WHIP for the season is 1.58, and opponents are batting .272 off him this year. In his 25 starts, Gore has turned in five quality starts and is averaging 9.74 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, he gave up five earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. So far, Gore has been much better at home, with an ERA of 5.25 compared to 5.16 on the road.
Washington’s offense has been one of the worst home run hitting teams in the league this season, and they are also just 17th in runs scored this season. However, they have been a bit better of late, as they are 13th in the league in runs scored over the past two weeks. Luis García Jr. and CJ Abrams have been the Nationals’ top power threats this season, as they are 1-2 on the team’s home run leaderboard. Garcia Jr. is also leading the team in RBIs and is batting .296.
Keibert Ruiz has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 9/31 with three homers over his last eight games. During this stretch, he has driven in seven runs. Alex Call is currently on a five-game hitting streak, while Luis Garcia Jr. is right behind him at four games.
Heading into their last game vs. the Phillies, the Braves closed out the series with a 3-2 win. Leading up to the game, they were the slight favorite at -118 on the money line. It was a big game for the Braves, as they needed a win to keep their lead in the NL East. The Phillies scored a run to take the early lead but the Braves responded with three runs in the 2nd inning. Atlanta’s offense was hot right out of the gates, as Adam Duvall went 3/3 with a homer and three RBIs.
Spencer Schwellenbach got the start for the Braves, going 6 2/3 innings, and picked up the win. He only gave up two runs on three hits and issued just one walk. The Braves also got a good outing from their bullpen, as Raisel Iglesias closed things out in the 9th, and picked up the save.
Atlanta is 68-59 overall, putting them six games behind the Phillies for the NL East lead. The Braves will host the Nationals today, and they are 20-17 in divisional games this year. The Braves took two of three from the Phillies in their most recent series.
At home, the Braves are 34-27 this year and 34-32 on the road. Heading into today’s game, the Braves have won three straight games as the favorite. They are 58-46 when favored this year and 10-13 as the underdog. Atlanta’s overall series record is 22-14-5, and they have won three straight series overall and two straight on the road.
When the Braves win, they win big, with an average run margin of 3.6 runs per game. But when they lose, they lose big, with an average run margin of -3.3 runs per game. Overall, they have a run line record of 58-69, with a run line record of 25-36 at home and 33-33 on the road. They are 45-59 against the run line as the favorite and 13-10 as the underdog.
Today’s game between the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals has an over/under line of 7.5 runs. The Braves have played 96 games this season with over/under lines higher than 7.5 runs, and their games have averaged 8.2 runs per game. Their over/under record for the season is 47-75, and when the over/under line has been set at 7.5 runs, they have gone 9-14. The Braves have hit the under in four straight games.
Chris Sale gets the start for the Braves today and is looking to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win. Against the Angels on August 17th, Sale went 6 innings, giving up 2 earned runs, and he finished with 10 strikeouts. Looking back further, Sale has made 23 starts and is 14-3 with a 2.62 ERA. Out of his 23 appearances, Sale has turned in 13 quality starts and is averaging 11.96 strikeouts per nine innings. For the season, he has a total of 187 strikeouts, which ranks second in the league. At home, Sale is 8-0 with a 3.44 ERA.
Marcell Ozuna has been on a tear for the Braves over his last 10 games, going 15/38 with two homers and four RBIs. His 37 home runs this season are 3rd in the league and leads the Braves. Overall, he is batting .308, which is the best mark on the team. Matt Olson is 2nd on the team with 64 RBIs but has a batting average of just .227.
As a team, the Braves are 4th in home runs and are averaging 4.3 runs per game. This is a team that has been better on the road this season, averaging 4.5 runs per contest. Overall, they are batting .242 and are 10th in slugging percentage.
Our predicted final score for this Nationals vs. Braves matchup is 5-4 in favor of the Nationals. With the Nationals being the underdog, they are a great value pick to win straight up with a payout of +222.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Chris Sale is projected to finish with seven strikeouts, which is the highest among all starters today. However, his chances of picking up a win are not as high, as he is fourth in our projections.
As for MacKenzie Gore, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts and has a better chance of picking up a win than Sale. However, Gore is projected to finish with fewer innings than Sale.
Atlanta Braves vs Washington Nationals Betting Tips
- We like the Nationals on the moneyline (+222)
- The Nationals are also our pick on the spread at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Atlanta Braves Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Jorge Soler | Probable | Hamstring |
| Travis d’Arnaud | Questionable | Wrist |
| Ozzie Albies | Out | Wrist |
| A.J. Minter | Out | Hip |
| Austin Riley | Out | Hand |
| Huascar Ynoa | Out | Elbow |
| Ronald Acuña Jr. | Out | Knee |
| Angel Perdomo | Out | Elbow |
| Ray Kerr | Out | Elbow |
| Spencer Strider | Out | Elbow |
Washington Nationals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Trevor Williams | Out | Hip Flexor |
| Derek Law | Out | Elbow |
| Mason Thompson | Out | Elbow |
| Josiah Gray | Out | Elbow |
| Cade Cavalli | Out | Elbow |
