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The Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves started a four-game series on Monday, with the Nationals taking an 8-4 upset victory. It wasn't the most significant loss for the Braves over the last few games, as they lost their superstar Ronald Acuna Jr for the season with a torn MCL. The Braves will need to find a way forward without him, as they were already 4-6 over their last ten without him, and now will need to stay above water without him for the rest of the season. The Braves are six games back of a red-hot Phillies team in the National League East. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Nationals-Braves prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Mackenzie Gore is the projected starter for the Nationals in this game. Gore has been pitching well over his last four games, but the Nationals are just 2-3 in those games, thanks to some blown leads from his bullpen and below-average offense. Gore is 3-4 this season with a 3.04 ERA. It's an improvement for the young pitcher after a 4.42 ERA last season, and Gore hopes his offense can soon catch up to the starting pitching to improve his record.
The Braves have yet to announce a starter for Wednesday, and with all their regular starters on less than four days' rest, they'll likely call a replacement from the minors in No. 3 prospect Spencer Schewellenbach. The Braves recalled him on Tuesday, which puts him in line to start on Wednesday. He was a two-way player in college and is now a full-time pitcher after undergoing Tommy John surgery after the draft. He pitched 45 innings in Double-A this season, tallying 51 strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Nationals-Braves Odds
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-154)
Moneyline: +136
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+128)
Moneyline: -162
Over: 8.5 (-115)
Under: 8.5 (-105)
How to Watch Nationals vs. Braves
Time: 7:20 PM ET/4:20 PM PT
TV: MASN2, Bally Sports Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Nationals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The results of pitchers coming straight from the minors are mixed, as Schwellenbach could be another Paul Skenes or struggle as Jack Leiter has in his three starts in the Majors this season. The Braves need to hope that Schwellenback will give them some security, as he will be the 11th different starting pitcher they've used this season. If Schwellenback falters, their bullpen has also had some issues recently, owning a 4.10 ERA over their last three games.
Why The Braves Will Cover The Spread/Win
It could be a high-scoring game, so even if Schwellenback struggles, the Braves will have no problem getting back into it. The Nationals bullpen has been bad at times this season, which has led to Gore's abysmal win/loss record. Gore could shut down the Braves offense in the early innings. However, there isn't much confidence in the Nationals' bullpen to keep them in the game. They have a 6.04 ERA over their last three games, and some of their best relievers will be on short rest for this game.
Final Nationals-Braves Prediction & Pick
MacKenzie Gore gives a little reason to believe this bet won't hit, but we'll have to hope he doesn't make it far into the game before giving way to the bullpen. There is too much uncertainty with the Braves rookie pitcher, as he's been good at Double-A, but that doesn't always translate to the Majors. Let's just root for runs in this game and take the over.
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Final Nationals-Braves Prediction & Pick: Over 8.5 (-115)
