It is an NL East showdown as the Atlanta Braves play hosts to the Washington Nationals. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Nationals-Braves prediction, pick, and how to watch.
The Nationals enter the game on a four-game losing skid after their game with the Diamondbacks was postponed yesterday. They are currently just 3-7 in their last ten games but have faced some of the best competition in the league. They come off of a series against the Dodgers, Phillies, and Diamondbacks. Meanwhile, the Braves continue to lead the NL East. After losing two of three to the lowly Athletics, the Braves lost game one of a series to the Diamondbacks before winning five straight. That includes sweeping the New York Mets. In the final game of the series, it was a three-run home run in the tenth by Ozzie Albies that completed a comeback.
Here are the Nationals-Braves MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Nationals-Braves Odds
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-111)
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (-108)
Over: 10 (-118)
Under: 10 (-104)
How To Watch Nationals vs. Braves
TV: MASN/BSSE
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 7:20 PM ET/ 4:20 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread
The Nationals struck out a lot in there, which is normally not an issue for them. The Nationals are tops in the league in strikeout percentage. They strike out just 18.7% of the time. Last game, it was 31.4% They are great at making contact, currently sitting fourth in the majors in team batting average. Leading them in batting average is Joey Meneses, who is ninth in the league with a .305 average this year. He is also the team leader in RBIs with 30 on the season. Meneses has had a hot start to the month as well. In five games he is batting .375, with an RBI and four walks.
Also hot this month is Alex Call. He is hitting .375 with a .444 on-base percentage so far in June. He only has one RBI though, but has scored three times. RBI production as of late has come from Stone Garrett. Garrett has five RBIs this month, with a home run, while batting .286. He only had four RBIs in all of May. Still, Garrett is a streaky player. He has 14 RBIs on the year, with nine of them coming in a combined two games.
Josiah Gray will be starting for the Nationals today. He is 4-5 on the year with a 3.09 ERA. His month of May was solid, as he went 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA. He gave up three or fewer runs in each start. He has been able to do that in 10 of his 12 starts this year. The only two times he did not were his first start of the year and the last time out. Last time out Gray went 5.1 innings giving up four runs and six hits in that time frame.
Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread
The Brave's offense has been very good this year. They are second in the league in both batting average and slugging percentage. They sit third in on-base percentage and fourth in runs scored on the season. In this five-game winning streak, the Braves have been scoring in bunches. They have scored 39 runs in the last five games, good for an average of 7.8 runs per game. The lowest they have scored in their winning streak is five runs, which is good enough to win most games for them.
This is especially true considering their pitching has been solid this year as well. They are 8th in the league in opponent batting average while also eighth in team ERA. Starting for the Braves will be AJ Smith-Shawver. He has made one appearance this year pitching 2.1 innings, striking out three, and not giving up a hit. This will be his first career start. Smith-Shawver pitched well in the minors this year. He started seven games this year with a 2-1 record. He has a 1.09 ERA with a .94 WHIP on the year. The 20-year-old will be looking to get his career off on the right foot.
Hoping to help him with run support is Eddie Rosario. Rosario is off to a solid start this month. He is hitting .333 on the month with three home runs and eight RBIs. He has been the big catalyst for the offense in their winning streak and has scored five times. Joining him starting June hot is Ozzie Albies. Albies is hitting .304 this month with six RBIs and three home runs.
Final Nationals-Braves Prediction & Pick
The Braves are starting a rookie pitcher today, and no matter how he did in his one relief appearance or the minors, this is a big step up in competition. Some rookies have pitched well in their first start. Taj Bradley was great for the Rays his first time out, as did Bryce Miller for the Mariners. Grayson Rodriguez did well in his first start but has struggled so much since that he was sent back to the minors. It is hard to tell how Smith-Shawver will do, but the Atlanta offense should be enough to get him his first win.
Final Nationals-Braves Prediction & Pick: Braves -1.5 (-108)
Follow Us
Subscribe