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The Nationals make the trip to Atlanta to face the Braves! These two teams have had different seasons with the Braves being one of the best teams in the MLB, while the Nationals have been inconsistent overall. Our MLB odds series has our Nationals-Braves prediction, odds, and pick for Thursday.
The Nationals have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the MLB. They sit at a 24-29 record and have gone 3-2 in their last five games. Their pitching has been solid and is in the middle of the pack, while they have struggled behind the plate on offense. Jesse Winker, CJ Abrams, Joey Meneses, and Luis Garcia Jr. have stood out for an average offense this season in the capital. Trevor Williams, MacKenzie Gore, and Jake Irvin have all been solid up to this point for the staff and have carried the team at times this season. The Nationals have talent, but it has been difficult to put it all together this season and it does not get much better against a team as good as the Braves.
The Braves have come out very strong to open the season. They are 31-21 and are 2-3 in their last five games. They have one of the best offenses in the MLB up to this point in the season, ranking as a top 10 staff in the MLB. Their pitching has also been very good this season as a top-10 unit as well. Max Fried, Reynaldo Lopez, and Chris Sale have all had varying levels of success up to this point. On offense, Marcell Ozuna has dominated at the plate for Atlanta, with Orlando Arcia, Ronald Acuna Jr. despite his injury, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II all not far behind. The Braves are playing great baseball, but are going to be in a battle with the the Phillies and Dodgers as the best team in the NL all season.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Nationals-Braves Odds
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +194
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -235
Over: 8.5 (-105)
Under: 8.5 (-115)
How to Watch Nationals vs. Braves
Time: 7:20 pm ET
TV: Bally Sports South / MASN
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
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Why The Nationals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Nationals are starting Trevor Williams on the mound in this game and he has a 4-0 record, a 2.29 ERA, and a 1.08 WHIP. Through 51 innings, Williams has allowed 15 runs on 41 hits with 14 walks and 43 strikeouts. The Nationals are 8-2 in the 10 games that he's started this season. In his last start against the Mariners, he pitched five innings and allowed one run on five hits with zero walks and eight strikeouts in a Nationals win. Williams has been a bright spot for the Nationals on the mound, but this is a difficult matchup against the Braves and their bats.
The offense for the Nationals has struggled this season. They are 24th in the MLB in team batting average at .230 after having a team batting average of .254 last season. Luis Garcia Jr., CJ Abrams, and Jesse Winker stand out and lead the way in most of the batting categories. Abrams leads the way in batting average at .266, in home runs at nine, and total hits at 54. Then, Garcia Jr. leads the way in RBI at 26 and Winker leads the way in OBP at .353. The Nationals have struggled behind the plate and it does not get any easier against Reynaldo Lopez for the Braves on the mound in this matchup.
Why The Braves Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Braves are starting Reynaldo Lopez to start on the mound. He has a 2-2 record, a 1.75 ERA, and a 1.09 WHIP. He has allowed 12 runs on 38 hits with 18 walks and 47 strikeouts through 51.1 innings. He has started in nine total games so far this season and the Braves are 5-4 in those games. In his last start, he pitched 4.2 innings where he allowed three runs on five hits with one walk and three strikeouts in a Braves loss. Lopez has been one of the best pitchers for the Braves this season and he gets a favorable matchup against the Nationals and their offense.
The Braves offense has been very good and is seventh in the MLB in batting average up to this point in the season at .251. They have dipped a bit after leading the MLB in batting average last season at .276. Marcell Ozuna has been incredible for the Braves to open the season and leads the way in most of the batting categories. Ozuna leads the way in batting average at .309, in home runs at 16, in RBI at 48, in OBP at .391, and in total hits at 59. The Braves offense can compete with anyone in the league, but Trevor Williams will be an interesting matchup on the mound for the Nationals.
Final Nationals-Braves Prediction & Pick
The Braves are the better team in this matchup. They are at home, they have the better offense, and they have the better pitcher on the mound with Lopez when compared to Williams for the Nationals. Expect the Braves to win and cover in this game against the Nationals at home.
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Final Nationals-Braves Prediction & Pick: Braves -1.5 (-110)
