Tuesday night baseball and we will see the Atlanta Braves travel to Nationals Park to take on the Washington Nationals in game 1 of their 3 game series. Free Pick to follow. First pitch is scheduled for a 7:05 PM (Eastern) start time and the game will be televised locally.
Betting Odds
Braves +135
Nationals -145
Over/ Under: 7.5 U -115
The Atlanta Braves come into this game off a nice 3 game home sweep of the Mets. The Braves are just 35-35 on the year and in 3rd place in the AL East, but they trail the Nationals by just 2 games and the Mets by a half a game. The Nats had a sweep of their own as they took 3 straight from Pittsburgh. The Nats have now taken back first place in the NL East by a game and a half over the Mets. This is a huge series for both squads.
The Atlanta Braves rank 14th in scoring (4.20 rpg), 9th in hitting (.259) and 30th in homers (41), while on the mound they are 22nd in ERA (4.06) and 25th in WHIP (1.34). The Braves are 6-1 in their last 7 when their opponent scores 5 runs or more in their previous game, but just 8-19 in their last 27 road games vs. a team with a winning home record and 1-7 in their last 8 meetings in Washington.
Washington ranks 5th in scoring (4.44 rpg), 11th in hitting (.258) and 8th in homers (74), while on the mound they are 14th in ERA (3.83) and 18th in WHIP (1.29). The Nationals are 8-2 in their last 10 games vs. a left-handed starter and 38-17 in their last 55 home games vs. a team with a losing road record, but just 3-7 in their last 10 games following a win.
Getting the ball for the Braves tonight will be Alex Wood, who has gone 4-4 with a 3.40 ERA on the year, while on the road he is 4-1 with a 2.58 ERA. Alex is 3-2 with a 2.63 ERA in 8 career starts vs the Nationals, while in this park he has gone 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 3 starts.
Taking the hill for the Nationals tonight will be Stephen Strasburg, who is returning from the DL. This year Stephen has gone 3-5 with a 6.55 ERA in 10 starts overall, while at home he is 1-3 with a 5.12 ERA. He is also 4-7 with a 4.24 ERA in 17 career starts vs the Braves.
Pick: Going with the Nats in this one.I know that Stephen is just coming off the DL and he has struggled this year, but the Nats really need to start sustaining winning streaks or they just might not win the NL East. Alex Wood has been tough this year on the road, but I just don't see him having a good vs a good hitting Nationals squad that has averaged 5.4 rpg in their last 10 games. Look for Strasburg to have one of his best starts of the year as the Nats take this one.
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