Thursday night baseball and we will see the Atlanta Braves take on the Washington Nationals in game 1 of their 4 game series from Nationals park in Washington DC. First pitch is scheduled for a 7:05 PM (Eastern) start time and the game will be televised on MLB Network.

Current Odds

Atlanta                +130
Washington          -150

Over/ Under: 7.5 U -120

Analysis: The Atlanta Braves are reeling, as they come in having lost 4 of their last 5 and were just swept at home by the Phillies. The Slide now has them at just 36-35 on the year and a game and a half behind the Nationals in the NL East. The Braves are 22-7 the last 29 in the series and have won 5 of 6 vs the Nats this year. The Braves have really struggled at the plate this year, as they come in ranked 28th in scoring (3.63 rpg), 20th in hitting (.244) and 10th in homers (70). The Pitching has been the thing that has kept this team afloat this year, as they come in ranked 7th in ERA (3.41), 13th in WHIP (1.28) and 1st in quality starts (49). Getting the ball for the Braves tonight will be Gavin Floyd, who is just 1-2 on the year, but with a solid 2.98 ERA. Gavin is 1-2 with a 4.45 ERA in 6 career appearances (4 starts) vs the Nats.

The Washington Nationals come in having won just 2 of their last 6 games, but thanks to the slide of the Braves they are still in first place in the NL East. The Nationals are a very average offensive team, as they come in ranked 17th in the league in scoring (4.10 rpg),19th in hitting (.247) and 19th in homers (60). This offense will really start to turn things around when Harper comes back. The pitching, though has been solid, as they come in ranked 2nd in ERA (3.06) and 5th in WHIP (1.21). Jordan Zimmerman will get the call tonight and he comes in with a 5-3 mark and a 2.98 ERA on the year. At home he is 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA, but the Nats are still just 4-4 in his home starts this year. Jordan is 3-1 with a 2.98 ERA in 8 career starts vs the Braves.

Pick:  I will side with the Nationals in this one. The Braves are reeling and Washington knows they can put some distance between themselves and the Braves during this series. The Atlanta offense continues to struggle and now so is their pitching, as they have allowed 35 runs in their last 5 games, including allowing 21 runs in their 3 games vs Philly, in which they were swept. Washington has won 2 in a row and I give Zimmerman the edge over Floyd, who has pitched well this year, but is still 33-42 on the road with a 4.35 ERA in his career. In contrast, Zimmerman is 26-17 with a 3.35 ERA in 66 career starts in this park. The Nats are 25-8 in their last 33 games on Thursday and they are 52-23 in their last 75 games as a favorite. Atlanta took 5 of 6 from the Nats so far this year, but I look for washington to get a measure of revenge in this series, starting tonight. 

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