The Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals meet Thursday in MLB action at Nationals Park. Here’s a Nationals vs. Braves Prediction. This article will include a Nationals vs. Braves Pick.
Atlanta Braves Betting Preview
The Atlanta Braves are 17-8 on the year and play the Phillies and Tigers next. The Atlanta Braves are batting. 271 on the season and have a .339 OBP, and a .454 slugging percentage. The Atlanta Braves pitching staff has a 3.16 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Drake Baldwin leads the Atlanta Braves with 33 hits and 23 RBI, while Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson have combined for 53 hits and 33 RBI.
JR Ritchie will make his major league debut when he takes the mound. Ritchie is 13-13 with a 2.61 ERA and 263 strikeouts in his minor league career. Ritchie was 3-1 with a 0.99 ERA and 28 strikeouts this year in AAA.
Washington Nationals Betting Preview
The Washington Nationals are 11-14 on the year and play the White Sox and Mets next. The Washington Nationals are batting .255 on the season and have a .334 OBP, and a .411 slugging percentage. The Washington Nationals pitching staff has a 5.65 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. Daylen Lile leads the Washington Nationals with 29 hits and 13 RBI while James Wood and CJ Abrams have combined for 50 hits and 39 RBI.
Cade Cavalli gets the ball for the Washington Nationals, and he is 0-1 with a 4.12 ERA and 18 strikeouts this season. This will be Cavalli’s first career game against the Atlanta Braves.
Why the Washington Nationals will win
- The Nationals have won five of their last six games as underdogs following a loss.
- The Braves have lost six of their last eight day games against the Nationals following a win.
- The Nationals have covered the run line in each of their last six games following a loss.
- The Braves have failed to cover the run line in six of their last eight day games against the Nationals following a win.
- The Nationals have led after 3 innings in five of their last six games against NL East opponents that held a winning record.
- The Braves have lost the first inning in each of their last four games.
- The Nationals have led after 5 innings in five of their last six day games against the Braves at Nationals Park.
Why the Atlanta Braves will win
- The Braves have won 11 of their last 12 road games against NL East opponents that held a losing record.
- The Nationals have lost six of their last seven home games against NL East opponents.
- The Braves have covered the run line in each of their last 11 day games following a road win.
- The Nationals have failed to cover the run line in six of their last seven home games against NL East opponents.
- The Braves have led after 5 innings in six of their last eight road games.
Total Runs Facts
- Seven of the last eight games between the Braves and Nationals at Nationals Park have gone OVER the total runs line.
- Each of the Braves’ last three games has gone OVER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Braves’ last nine games as road favorites.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last four games between the Braves and Nationals.
Washington Nationals Player Prop Facts
- CJ Abrams has hit a home run in three of the Nationals’ last nine day games.
- Jacob Young has recorded at least one hit in each of his last seven appearances with the Nationals as home underdogs.
Atlanta Braves Player Prop Facts
- Matt Olson has hit a home run in four of the Braves’ last five day games against NL East opponents that held a losing record.
- Dominic Smith has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 13 appearances against NL East opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Nationals rank 30th in the league for home runs allowed this season (46).
- The Nationals rank 30th in the league for hits allowed this season (240).
- The Braves rank 1st in the league for runs scored this season (143).
- The Braves rank 1st in the league for hits this season (234).
Nationals vs Braves Prediction
Usually I shy away from pitchers making their big league debut, as there’s no sample size. However, the Braves are not only the better team by a wide margin, but also Ritchie is a top-100 prospect in baseball. He’s not just a regular guy getting called up. He has a fastball in the high 90s, a slider, changeup, curveball and a cutter. There’s an arsenal to work with and it’s why he’s the second-rated prospect in the Braves system. Cavalli has a 4.12 ERA, 12 walks, and 1.73 WHIP through 19.2 innings. Give me the Braves with their new pitcher on the bump.