Braves vs. Nationals Tuesday Prediction
Despite Stephen Strasburg taking the mound for the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night, will the Nats and Atlanta Braves still score enough runs to cash the over for bettors? The National League East Divisional rivals will square off at 7:05 p.m. ET.
Game Snapshot & Odds
901 Atlanta Braves (+200) at 902 Washington Nationals (-220); 7 runs
Tuesday, April 10, 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 in search of offense after getting shut down Monday
The Braves were absolutely dominated by Max Scherzer on Monday night, as the ace pitched a complete game shutout versus his division rivals. Atlanta produced just two singles, one by Kurt Suzuki in the second and one by Nick Markakis in the fifth. Neither player advanced past that point.
One thing Strasburg will likely want to duplicate is taking advantage of the Braves’ penchant for swinging early in counts. Atlanta had short at bats against Scherzer, who was still throwing 95 miles per hour in the ninth inning.
”Kind of like he got stronger as he went, too,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. ”Last couple of innings were his best.”
Nationals snap skid but offense still struggling
Scherzer stole the headlines on Monday but the Nationals have to be frustrated by their lack of offense to start the season. They picked up a quick two runs in the first inning but were shut out the rest of the way. Ryan Zimmerman remains in an early-season funk, going 0-for-4 to drop his season batting average to .097. After only taking two at bats in the Grapefruit League, the first baseman is being ridiculed by the Nationals fan base for not being better prepared for the season.
In other news, second baseman Howie Kendrick left the game after the seventh inning due to his right leg tightening up on him. It’s not clear if he’ll play on Tuesday night.
MLB Betting Trends
Atlanta
The Braves are just 1-8 in Mile Foltynewicz’s last nine starts and are 0-5 in his last five road outings.
Washington
The Nationals are 47-13 in Strasburg’s last 60 starts and have won 44 of his last 64 outings at home.
Prediction:
Seeing as how the money line odds for both teams are outrageous, let’s take a look at the total. As previously mentioned, the Nationals are in a funk offensively to start the year but I expect that to change soon. They simply have too much firepower to be held in check for very long. The over is a perfect 5-0 in Strasburg’s last five home starts against the Braves, is 5-2 in his last seven outings versus Atlanta overall, and has cashed in 23 of the last 32 meetings in Washington. With the total only sitting at 7, I’ll roll the dice on the over.
The Pick: Braves/Nationals over 7 (-115)