Braves vs. Nationals Prediction
The Washington Nationals already find themselves in a deep funk to start the season. After dropping their fifth straight game on Sunday night, will the Nats rebound on Monday night when they host the upstart Atlanta Braves?
Game Snapshot & Odds
955 Atlanta Braves (+210) at 956 Washington Nationals (-240); 7.5 runs
Monday, April 9, 2018
7:05 p.m. ET, Nationals Park
TV: FSSO (ATL); MASN (WSH)
(Odds courtesy of online sportsbooks YouWager)
Public Betting Trends
As of this writing, 58% of the betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Nationals to beat the Braves on the moneyline. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our MLB Public Betting Page for updated figures on this game.
Atlanta Braves Off to Strong Start in 2018
It’s early but the results have been very positive for the Braves thus far. They have won all three of their series to start the season and they’ll send Julio Teheran to the mound to face ace Max Scherzer tonight.
Teheran has already faced the Nationals once this season and allowed five runs on six hits in just 2 1/3 innings of work. He actually came away with a no-decision, however, as the Braves racked up double-digit runs in a 13- victory.
That game was a microcosm of the Braves’ success in the early going. They won two of three games against the Nationals when the division rivals met last week and Atlanta’s offense is a major reason why the team has started 6-3. They lead the majors with 62 runs scored in nine games.
Washington Nationals hoping that Scherzer will end skid
Entering the season, many believed the Nationals were not just National League pennant material, but legit World Series contenders. They were making genius of people at the start of the season, winning four straight to open their 2018 schedule. But a current five-game losing streak has some wondering what has happened to this supposed juggernaut.
One reason the Nationals have struggled over the past week is their offense. They scored nine runs in their three-game series against the Mets, who swept the Nationals with a 6-5 victory in 12 innings on Sunday night. While Bryce Harper is off to a great start, the rest of the Nationals are in a funk.
Getting Daniel Murphy back would help, but the second baseman continues to recover from microfracture surgery on his right knee six months ago.
MLB Betting Trends
Atlanta
The Braves are 7-2 in Teheran’s last nine starts and are 9-4 in his last 13 outings on the road.
Washington
The Nationals are 36-16 in Scherzer’s last 52 starts and have won seven of his last nine outings at home.
Prediction:
The struggling Nationals are expensive tonight because of Scherzer and while the Braves are hot, I don’t trust Teheran to keep the score in check. I do some value in the over, which is 4-0 in Scherzer’s last four home starts against the Braves. The over is also 6-1-1 in Teheran’s last eight starts against the Nationals and is 23-9 in the last 32 meetings between these two teams in Washington. Perhaps the Nationals’ bats woke up last night and that will carry over into a more offensive week ahead.
The Pick: Braves/Nationals over 7.5