At 6:45 PM ET, the Braves and Nationals face off in an NL East matchup. This one is taking place at Nationals Park in Washington, and the Nationals are looking to snap a two-game losing streak. However, they are the +145 underdog on the money line. The Braves have a record of 79-66 and Max Fried on the mound. They are the betting favorite at -172.
Wednesday's over/under line is at 7.5 runs, and MASN will be televising this one. Looking at the standings, the Braves are in 3rd place in the NL East, while the Nationals are 4th.
Atlanta vs. Washington Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Braves at Nationals
- Where: Nationals Park Washington
- Date: Wednesday, September 11th
- Betting Odds ATL -172 | WSH +145 O/U 7.5
Braves vs Nationals Last Game Recap
The most recent game o of this Braves vs Nationals series featured a lopsided 12-0 win for the Braves. Heading into the game, they were favored at -144 on the money line.
Reynaldo Lopez only went one inning for the Braves but didn't give up a hit or an earned run. Jesse Chavez got the win out of the bullpen. MacKenzie Gore had a rough outing for the Nationals, giving up six hits and two earned runs in just 3 2/3 innings of work.
Atlanta's offense was led by Michael Harris II, who homered twice and went 3/6 with two RBIs. Both Ramon Laureano and Matt Olson each drove in three runs for the Braves' lineup.
Braves Preview
Atlanta has a 39-35 road record heading into today's game, and they are 24-21 against NL East opponents. The Braves are 8 games behind the Phillies in the NL East standings, with an overall record of 79-66.
When favored, the Braves have a 67-50 record, and their run line record on the road is 40-34. This season, the Over/Under record for Braves games with lines lower than 7.5 runs is 12-19, and the average total runs scored in their games is 8.1.
Max Fried has turned in a quality start in three of his last four outings and has a record of 9-8 this season. His ERA is 3.35, and he has a WHIP of 1.19. Out of his 25 starts, Fried has finished with a complete game shutout once. Per nine innings, he is averaging 8.41 strikeouts and 3.11 walks. The last time he pitched, Fried picked up the win, going seven innings and giving up just one earned run. In that outing, he gave up five hits and one walk. Looking back further, he has given up at least one homer in three straight starts.
So far this season, the Braves are averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 16th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road, averaging 4.7 runs per game, compared to just 3.9 runs per game at home. As a team, the Braves are 4th in home runs and have a collective batting average of .241.
Marcell Ozuna has been the Braves' top hitter this season, batting .305 with 37 home runs and 98 RBIs. Matt Olson has also been a significant power threat, with 25 homers but is batting just .237. Ozuna and Olson have been swinging the bat well of late, with Ozuna going 4/16 in his last five games and Olson having two homers in that stretch. Ronald Acuna Jr. comes into the game on a four-game hitting streak.
Nationals Preview
Washington's overall series record is 17-23-5, and they have an 80-64 record against the run line this season. The over has hit in three straight games for the Nationals, bringing their O/U record to 70-69. Straight up, they are 64-80, 22.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East.
As underdogs, the Nationals are 52-68, and they have a 32-38 home record. They have dropped four straight games at home and are 3-7 in their last ten games. On the run line, they are 37-33 at home and 69-51 as underdogs.
Jake Irvin gets the start for the Nationals today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Pirates. In that start, which came on September 5th, he took the loss and gave up six earned runs in five innings of work. Looking back over his last three starts, Irvin has given up at least two homers in each outing. So far this season, he has a record of 9-12, an ERA of 4.28, and has allowed a total of 26 homers. Per nine innings, Irvin is averaging 2.33 walks compared to 7.59 strikeouts.
Washington's offense has been just below average this season, averaging 4.2 runs per game. They are 10th in the league in batting average, but are just 25th in home runs and have the 24th ISO in the league. Luis Garcia Jr. is batting .284 this season and is 2nd on the team with 63 RBIs. CJ Abrams has a team-high 19 homers but is batting just .237.
Andres Chaparro and Jose Tena have been swinging hot bats for the Nationals, with Chaparro going 6/19 in his last five games with two homers and seven RBIs, and Tena is 8/21 in this stretch. Tena is also on a five-game hitting streak.
Braves vs. Nationals Prediction: Nationals ML +145
Our prediction for today's Braves vs. Nationals game is to take the Nationals on the money line, where they are offering a payout of +145. We actually have the Nationals winning this one by a final score of 5-4.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Jake Irvin is projected to finish with five strikeouts, and he has the Nationals' starter finishing with the seventh most among all starters. As for Max Fried, his projections have him finishing with just four K's, and his chances of picking up a win are ranked fifth among starters.
