Sunday afternoon baseball and we will see the Washington Nationals take on the Atlanta Brave in Turner Field, in Atlanta. The game is scheduled for a 1:35 (ET) pm start time and it will be televised on MASN, WDCW DC-50 (Washington) and FS South (Atlanta). Currently the odds have the Braves favored at -115, while the Nationals are dogs of +108. The total for the game sits at 7.5 runs.
Free Analysis: As July dawns, Atlanta and Washington play the rubber game of a weekend set at steamy Turner Field with a two-game swing in the National League East standings at stake. The Nationals held the pitching advantage entering Saturday’s game, but ace Stephen Strasburg lasted only three innings in the Georgia heat as the Braves prevailed 7-5. Today Gio Gonzalez gets his chance to deal with the heat, as he continues to take the NL by storm. Gio is 10-3 with a 2.78 ERA and is tied for second in the senior circuit in victories and fourth in strikeouts (108). The Nats are 7-1 in Gonzalez's away appearance with the opposition stroking in 15 runs, 14 earned, during 40 innings. Brave hitters are just 10-49 off of Gio, with 5 runs scored. For Atlanta they will be sending out Tim Hudson and he has some really good numbers vs the Nats. Tim is 14-4 with as 2.35 ERA in 24 career starts vs the Nats. Tim was rocked for 7 ER's vs the Nats here back in May, but last year he allowed just 5 ER's in 3 starts (18 innings) vs them. For the year Tim is 6-3 with a 3.58 ERA overall, while at home he has gone 3-2 with a 4.70 ERA. Day time has always been good for Tim as he is 63-25 with a 3.16 ERA in his career, including a 2-1 mark with a 1.37 ERA in 3 day starts this year. The Nats have gone a mediocre 4-5 on this current road tip, but they are a solid 24-18 away from home on the year. The Braves at home are under .500 for the year (18-19), they have still outscored thier opponts at turner this year (4.6 rpg to 4.3 rpg). The Nationals have won five of seven versus the Braves this season, including a three-game sweep in Atlanta from May 25-27. The oppressive heat did claim one victim on Saturday, as Washington starter Stephen Strasburg (9-3) lasted just three innings due to heat exhaustion. The game-time temperature yesterday was 104 degrees, and it's expected to be just as hot today at some point during the contest.
Free Pick: About 11 games ago the Braves were having a real devil of a time scoring, but they have taken off off late, hitting .273 and scoring 5.3 rpg in their last 10 games.Today they will be facing Gio Gonzalez, who is off a really bad showing in Colorado his last time. Gio has been solid all year on the road, with a 6-1 mark and a 3.13 ERA, but the Braves get the advantage of having already seen him twice. in his first start vs Atlanta he allowed just 2 ER's in 7 innings, but the second time he faced them he allowed 3 ER's on 7 hits and 3 walks in just 4.2 innings of work. Tim Hudson really like to face the Nats, as he is 14-4 with a 2.35 ERA in 24 starts vs them. Tim also likes to pitch in day games as he is 63-25 with a 3.16 ERA in his career, including a 2-1 mark with a 1.37 ERA in 3 day starts this year. The Nats offensively have been solid on this trip (8.6 rpg L5 games), but 3 of those games were in Colorado their last two have been vs struggling Braves pitchers. This offense is not setup to sustain long stretches of solid p;lay and they will struggle today vs Hudson. This is a big game for the Braves and behind their ace they will close the gap even more between themselves and the Nats.
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MLB Free Picks: Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves Betting
What baseball bettors need to know about Nationals at Braves on Sunday (7/1/12) - with Pregame.com's Bryan Leonard including a best bet from host Marco D'Angelo.