Braves Need It

The Washington Nationals host the Atlanta Braves on Monday, September 26th at 7:05 pm. This will be the first of a three-game series these two will play this week. On the season, the Braves and Nationals have matched up 16 times and Atlanta leads the season series 12 games to 4. Heading into this NL East matchup, the Braves have a road record of 42-32 and the Nationals have a home record of 24-50.  The odds for this game are currently pending according to Caesars Casino & Sportsbook. New users will receive a Risk-Free Bet of up to $1250 on their first wager. When you make your first bet, if it loses, it’s on the house as Caesars will refund any losing wagers in full (up to $1250 in the form of a single-use bonus credit Plus Caesar’s is adding 1,000 Reward Credits and 1,000 Tier Credits). You must make a deposit to get the bonus! Click the link to sign up or use Promo OSBETFULL. Claim your bonus here!

The Atlanta Braves are currently 94-58 and are the second seed in the NL East. They are in an intense battle with the New York Mets for the division. As of now, the Braves are one game behind them and are the first team in the NL Wild Card. They are coming off of a series against the Philadelphia Phillies where they lost two of the three games they played on the road. Headed into this game against the Nationals, the Braves will send out Bryce Elder for them on the mound. On the season, Elder is 1-3 with an ERA of 3.38 and a WHIP of 1.33. Elder has already pitched against the Nationals this season and has a record of 1-0 against them. In that game he pitched 5.2 innings and struck out 4 batters and allowed 3 runs. As a team the Braves rank 5th around the league for ERA with a 3.46. In terms of hitting, they rank 8th with a batting average of a .254. On the season they have 1,310 hits which ranks as the 9th best in the MLB. Third baseman, Austin Riley, leads the Braves in batting average, home runs, and RBIs. Ronald Acuna Jr. leads the team in OBP and Dansby Swanson leads the team in hits with 167. The Braves are a great all around team and could avoid the Wild Card if they win the division and outlast the Mets. 

The Washington Nationals are currently 53-99 and are the last seed in the NL East. They have been eliminated from playoff contention and have the worst record in the MLB. It will be a tough matchup for the Nationals heading into this one. Over their last 10 games, they are 4-6 but they are on a 1-game winning streak. They are coming off a series against the Miami Marlins on the road where they won one of the three games they played. Heading into this game against the Braves, the Nationals will have Cory Abbott take the mound for them. On the season, Abbott is 0-3 and has an ERA of 4.85 and a WHIP of 1.38. The Nationals rank 29th around the league for ERA with a 4.96. They are a better hitting team than they are pitching as they rank 11th for batting average with a .250. Cesar Hernandez leads the team in batting average and hits while Nelson Cruz leads the team in OBP and RBIs. This team is in need of a rebuild and should be more competitive in the years to come. In this game against the Braves, they will have a tough time in finding success. 

I think the Braves will take advantage of this game and series and increase their chances of winning the NL East. The Nationals are no match for the Braves as their squad is not as talented and they are one of the worst pitching teams in the league. Elder has already found success against the Nationals and should have a strong outing in this game. 

For our expert Atlanta Braves vs Washington Nationals pick, take the Braves run line.