by James Q
Saturday, Aug 14, 2021Atlanta Braves Vs Washington Nationals Prediction, Odds and Preview - 08/15/2021
Game Time: 1:05 pm ET, Sunday, August 15th, 2021
Venue: Nationals Park, Washington, DC
Where to Watch: Bally Sport Ohio, NBCSP
Season-to-Date Record:
Braves: 60-56 (1st place, NL East)
Nationals: 50-65 (4th place NL East)
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks:
DraftKings: Moneyline odds: Braves -160 Nationals +140; Over/Under: 9.5 runs
Key Injuries:
Braves: Eddie Rosario (abdomen) Out, Huascar Ynoa (hand) Out
Nationals: Alex Avila (ill) Out, Stephen Strasburg (neck) Out again.
Recent Lineups:
Braves:
O. Albies, 2B
J. Soler, RF
F. Freeman, 1B
A. Riley, 3B
D. Swanson, SS
A. Duvall, LF
T. d'Arnaud, C
J. Pederson, RF
J. Soler, RF
F. Freeman, 1B
A. Riley, 3B
D. Swanson, SS
A. Duvall, LF
T. d'Arnaud, C
J. Pederson, RF
Nationals:
V. Robles, CF
A. Escobar, SS
J. Soto, RF
J. Bell, 1B
Y. Hernandez, LF
C. Kieboom, 3B
L. Garcia, 2B
T. Barrera, C
A. Escobar, SS
J. Soto, RF
J. Bell, 1B
Y. Hernandez, LF
C. Kieboom, 3B
L. Garcia, 2B
T. Barrera, C
Statistical Leaders:
Braves:
Batting Average: Austin Riley (.292)
Hits: Freddie Freeman (122)
Home Runs: Freddie Freeman (24)
RBI: Ozzie Albies (77)
Stolen Bases: Ronald Acuna Jr (17)
Wins: Charlie Morton (11)
Saves: Will Smith (24)
ERA: Charlie Morton (4.39)
Nationals:
Batting Average: Trea Turner (.322) (now a Dodger)
Hits: Trea Turner (125) (now a Los Angeles Dodger)
Home Runs: Kyle Shwarber (25)
RBI: Juan Soto (62)
Stolen Bases: Trea Turner (21) (Now in Tinseltown)
Wins: Max Scherzer (8) (Another new Dodger)
Saves: Brad Hand (21)
ERA: Patrick Corbin (5.83)
Managers:
Braves: Brian Snitker; Alex Anthopoulos GM
Nationals: David Martinez; Mike Rizzo GM
Recent Form:
The Braves are 8-2 over their last ten games! The moneyline was paid in Atlanta, They notched 6 Overs and 4 Unders in that stretch. Big sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0, beat Washington already 2-1 in a three game series last week, and went 2-1 against the Cincinnati Reds. Beat Washington again Friday night, sending Washingtondesperately in search of a victory during these home games.
The Nationals are 1-9 in their last ten games. 7 Overs, 3 Unders, they get scored on. The Nats traded their best mound performer and their most consistent batter out of the nation’s capital for prospects. Their reward is currently having no way to stop a five-game losing streak from extending to who knows how many straight games?
Statistical Comparison:
The Braves are 15th in batting average .241, 10th in runs scored 557, and 18th in Homers at 921.
The Nationals counter with a batting average of .257.. That’s 4th best in the league!! They are 18th in runs scored 505, and 22nd in homers at 131. The 4th in batting average is fugazzi. They traded Trea Turner which was a big part of those numbers. They pulled the plug on the rest of the season and will fill the Diamond with young guys looking to make a mark. The numbers are hollow and they weren’t very good to begin with.
The Brave pitchers are 13th in ERA 4.06, the starting rotation is solid, the bullpen is suspect. The Braves are 17th in strikeouts and 20th in home runs given up with a low 130. Saturday evening they have a middle game of a three-game series with these Nationals. They should improve all these numbers.
The Nationals are 20th in team ERA at 4.50, 23rd in strikeouts with an inept 952. Of course these numbers are artificially inflated because they traded Win leader Max Sherzer at the deadline.
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Braves Vs Nationals
Game Preview:
The Braves will start lefty Drew Smyly 8-3, 4.41 ERA 92 strikeouts in 102 innings pitched, 1.36 Whip. The 32 year old, 2010 2nd round pick, is on a bit of a roll over his last 7 games. Posting 3-0 with a noticeable uptick in his current ERA vs his career ERA.
The Nationals will start strong arm, old-timer, righty Paolo Espino 3-3, 3.74 ERA, 49 strikeouts in 67 innings pitched. His career is 40 games in the Majors. He was taken in round 10 of the draft waaay back in 2006. 40 games in 15 years means a lot of time grinding his way up through the minors. He’ll make a fine coach somewhere, someday. He’ll get shelled and pulled in this one.
The Braves hit 4 solo home runs in the first game against the Nationals for a 4-2 win. That is going to keep happening.
Notable quotes:
“We’ve got a big seven-week stretch in front of us,... We’ve battled through not only the adversity during the year, but even just some of the travel and the late nights we’ve had, and just even a rain delay playing into the wee hours of the morning. But it’s nice to just be able to compete and lay a good foot forward at the start of the road trip.” Braves’ Swanson explaining how the season ends to the best of his abilities.
“I felt like my stuff was really playing….I was getting ahead of batters. A little bitter ending at the end, but I felt great throughout that outing. Given the circumstances with the rain delay as well, I thought I couldn’t have done much different.” Josiah Gray rambling about what happened when he gave up 3 solo home runs in the Nationals loss to the Braves.
Atlanta Braves Vs Washington Nationals Prediction: Our MLB Pick for Sunday, August 15th, is Braves 7 Nationals 2
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James Q
About the Author:
James Q. has been involved with sports and gambling his entire life. A former division 1 scholarship basketball player, James understands sports (and especially basketball) inside-and-out. Following his basketball playing days, James parlayed his gambling skills into a semi-pro poker career. James resides in Los Angeles, and especially loves the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Rams, and Los Angeles Dodgers. And when he isn't betting on sports (and writing about it), James can be found performing stand-up comedy on the Sunset Strip.
