Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/22/2026

Game Time: 7:15 pm ET, Friday, May 22, 2026

Venue:  Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +178, Braves -219; Over/Under:  9 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +180, Braves -225; Over/Under:  9 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +180, Braves -225; Over/Under:  9 runs

Washington Nationals:  25-25 (3rd place, NL East)

Atlanta Braves:  34-16 (1st place, NL East)

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Washington Nationals:  6-4 last 10

Atlanta Braves:  7-3 last 10

The Nationals won their 3-game series against the Baltimore Orioles 2-1. They enter this game with a 25-25 record overall and have a road record of 15-10. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Braves on Friday with the series finale of their series against the New York Mets still to be played on Thursday. The Nationals lost the series opener on Monday, won the 2nd game on Tuesday, and won the 3rd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 4th in the MLB with a .744 OPS. Cade Cavalli is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Miles Mikolas is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 1-3 with a 6.91 ERA this season. His team won 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 4 ER, 2 HR, and 1 BB with 4 SO on 6 hits through 5.2 IP against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Braves won their 3-game series against the Boston Red Sox 2-1. They enter this game with a 34-16 record overall and have a home record of 16-8. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Nationals on Friday with the 4th game of their series against the Miami Marlins still to be played on Thursday. The Braves lost the 1st game of that series on Monday, won the 2nd game on Tuesday, and won the 3rd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 2nd in the MLB with a .768 OPS. Spencer Strider is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Bryce Elder is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 4-2 with a 2.01 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 earned runs, 1 homer, and 0 walks with 3 strikeouts on 7 hits through 8 innings pitched against the Boston Red Sox.

The current betting odds have the Braves listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Braves have looked great in their games this season with their 34-16 record overall which has them right at the top of the NL East with one of the best records in MLB. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 16-8 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Nationals have looked good in their games this season with their 25-25 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL East. They have been a good road team too with their 15-10 road record this year. The Nationals are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have looked good lately, but they have been really up and down for most of the season. The Braves are 7-3 in their last 10 games and they have been rolling like one of the best teams in the league. The Braves have one of the best offenses in the MLB and the Nationals aren't far behind, but the Braves do have a big edge here with a better pitching matchup. Elder is on the mound for the Braves in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 4-2 with a 2.01 ERA and hasn't been giving up many runs in his starts. He did give up 3 earned runs in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this year, so he will be looking to bounce back with a better start at home and the team has still won 2 of their last 3 games with him starting. The Nationals are going with Mikolas in this one and he hasn't looked great this year. He is 1-3 with a 6.91 ERA and he has been giving up a ton of runs. His team has been having success lately, winning 3 of their last 4 games with him starting, but he did give up 4 earned runs in his last start and that has been a common theme for him. The Braves are the better team all-around and they will be able to take advantage of this pitching matchup at home with the way their offense has been rolling lately. The best way to place a bet here is on the Braves to win this game and on the runline. 

Nationals Braves Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, May 22, 2026 (7:15 pm ET start time) is Braves 7 Nationals 2.

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Washington Nationals: 81-105 (+17.9 units) on the moneyline in road games. 38-41 (+15.6 units) on the moneyline vs. a team with a good bullpen whose ERA is 3.45 or better. 49-67 (+11.7 units) on the moneyline vs. teams outscoring opp by 0.5 or more runs/game on the season. 24-12 OVER when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 62%).

Atlanta Braves: 199-177 (-38.3 units) on the moneyline in all games. 101-85 (-26.2 units) on the moneyline in home games. 131-136 (-50.2 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 9-4 OVER against division opponents.

Washington Nationals:  M. Kranick (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. C. Beeter (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. K. Waldichuk (SP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. C. Henry (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. J. Gray (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. D. Herz (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. T. Williams (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Atlanta Braves:  D. Baldwin (C) Ten Day IL - Oblique. K. Farmer (DH) Ten Day IL - Forearm. S. Murphy (C) Ten Day IL - Finger. D. Young (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. A. Smith-Shawver (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. H. Waldrep (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. J. Wentz (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. J. Jimenez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. S. Schwellenbach (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“These guys were sick of hearing about it. A lot of these players, too, are in the same boat. A lot of them might have been a DFA pick up, waiver pickup, smaller trade pieces, they also feel like they have a chip on their shoulders to prove (something) to the teams where they came from.” - Blake Butera on his team’s improvement this season. 

“It's good to have him back. The last time we saw him on the field, he was making a game-saving catch running into the wall in LA. So it's nice having two guys on the bench at the same time with what I call game-changing speed, him and (Jorge) Mateo.” - Walt Weiss on having Eli White back with the team.

James Wood (L) LF

Curtis Mead (R) 3B

Andrés Chaparro (R) 1B

CJ Abrams (L) SS

Dylan Crews (R) RF

Daylen Lile (L) DH

Jacob Young (R) CF

Nasim Nuñez (S) 2B

Keibert Ruiz (S) C

Ronald Acuña Jr. (R) RF

Michael Harris II (L) CF

Matt Olson (L) 1B

Ozzie Albies (S) 2B

Dominic Smith (L) DH

Mauricio Dubón (R) SS

Austin Riley (R) 3B

Mike Yastrzemski (L) LF

Sandy León (S) C

Batting Average:  CJ Abrams (.300)

Hits:  CJ Abrams (54)

Home Runs:  James Wood (13)

RBI:  CJ Abrams (42)

Stolen Bases:  Nasim Nuñez (21)

Wins:  Foster Griffin (5)

Saves:  Gus Varland (4)

ERA:  Orlando Ribalta (2.00)

Batting Average:  Chadwick Tromp (1.000)

Hits:  Drake Baldwin (57)

Home Runs:  Matt Olson (14)

RBI:  Matt Olson (42)

Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuña (7)

Wins:  Chris Sale (7)

Saves:  Raisel Iglesias (8)

ERA:  Raisel Iglesias (0.00)

Managers:

Washington Nationals: Blake Butera (1st season)

Atlanta Braves: Walt Weiss (1st season)