The Atlanta Braves are visiting the Washington Nationals on Thursday, May 22nd at the Nationals Park in the second game of this series, with the Nationals having a 1-0 lead. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Braves vs Nationals Prediction. We will examine:
The Washington Nationals’ recent form and player performance
The Atlanta Braves’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Washington Nationals
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Atlanta Braves
Recent betting trends in games played between the Atlanta Braves vs Washington Nationals
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Atlanta Braves vs Washington Nationals game
Washington Nationals Preview
The Washington Nationals have a 22-27 record this season and are sitting in 4th place in the NL East. The Nationals have an 11-12 home record and are 23-24 in over/under. They are coming off a 5-3 home victory over the Braves and have four consecutive wins. Under is 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, and are playing the Giants and the Mariners next.
The Nationals have a .242 batting average this season, a .312 OBP, and a .390 Slugging percentage. Washington’s pitching staff has a 5.24 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. James Wood leads the Nationals with 53 hits and a team-high 12 home runs. Nathaniel Lowe leads the team in RBI with 34, while CJ Abrams is the team’s best hitter with a .312 batting average.
Trevor Williams (R) will take the mound for the Nationals, and he has a 2-5 record, 5.91 ERA, and 1.53 WHIP. He has been slightly better at home with a 5.48 ERA across four home starts, but he has given up 3+ runs in his last four starts. In his previous start against the Braves this season, he gave up 3 runs in 4.1 innings of work, and he has a 3-2 record with an ERA of 3.50 and 56 strikeouts in 12 appearances versus the Braves in his career.
Atlanta Braves Preview
The Atlanta Braves have a 24-24 record this season and are sitting in third place in the NL East. The Braves have a 9-17 road record and 18-26 in over/under. They are coming off a 3-5 road defeat by the Nationals, and are 5-3 in their last 8 games. Under is 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and are playing the Padres and the Phillies next.
The Braves have a .246 batting average this season, a .318 OBP, and a .390 Slugging percentage. Atlanta’s pitching staff has a 3.78 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. Austin Riley leads the Braves with 56 hits, adding a team-high 28 RBI, and he is the team’s best hitter with a .283 batting average. Matt Olson adds a team-high 10 home runs.
AJ Smith-Shawver (R) will take the mound for the Braves, and he has a 3-2 record, 2.33 ERA, and 1.24 WHIP. He has been weaker on the road with a 3.15 ERA across four road starts, and he is in terrific form lately, with just one earned run in 19.2 innings pitched across three starts. In his previous start against the Nationals this season, he had a shutout performance in 6 innings pitched.
Why the Washington Nationals will win
- The Nationals have won each of their last four games as underdogs.
- The Braves have lost four of their last five games as road favorites against National League opponents.
- The Braves have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight night games against National League opponents.
- The Nationals have covered the run line in each of their last four games.
- The Nationals have led after 3 innings in nine of their last 11 home night games.
- The Braves have lost the first inning in four of their last five night games against NL East opponents that held a losing record.
- The Nationals have led after 5 innings in each of their last six night games at Nationals Park against NL East opponents.
Why the Atlanta Braves will win
- The Braves have won each of their last 10 night games at Nationals Park following a loss.
- The Nationals have lost each of their last nine Thursday night home games against NL East opponents.
- The Braves have covered the run line in each of their last five road games against NL East opponents following a loss.
- The Nationals have failed to cover the run line in each of their last four games following a home win.
- The Nationals have trailed after 3 innings in six of their last seven home games against National League opponents.
- The Nationals have trailed after 5 innings in 10 of their last 11 games against NL East opponents.
Total Runs Facts
- Each of the Braves’ last seven road games against National League opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- Six of the Nationals’ last seven games against National League opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Braves’ last four games as road favorites against NL East opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in six of the Nationals’ last seven night games against National League opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Nationals rank 27th in the league for ERA this season (5.24).
- The Nationals rank 27th in the league for opponent batting average this season (.267).
- The Braves rank 5th in the league for hits allowed this season (365).
- The Braves rank 9th in the league for runs allowed this season (186).
Braves vs Nationals Prediction
The Braves are 6-4 in their last 10 meetings against the Nationals, but the Nationals are 5-2 in their last 7 meetings in Washington. Under is 8-1-1 in their last 10 meetings.
In this Braves vs Nationals Prediction, the Braves are coming as -155 road favorites. The Braves have a slightly better overall record, but have been terrible on the road, and the Nationals have been mediocre at home. The Nationals are currently on a winning streak, but they have the pitching disadvantage and also have the second-worst bullpen in the MLB.
AJ Smith-Shawver is looking unhittable in his last three starts, and don’t expect a bottom-10 offense to get to him. The Braves have been consistently hitting righties better than the Nationals, so everything points to an easy Braves road win in this one. Take the Atlanta Braves on the runline.