Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/31/2026

Game Time: 7:15 pm ET, Friday, July 31, 2026

Venue:  Truist Park, Atlanta, GA 

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +109, Braves -131; Over/Under:  9 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +110, Braves -130; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +110, Braves -130; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Washington Nationals:  55-54 (4th place, NL East)

Atlanta Braves:  63-45 (1st place, NL East)

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Washington Nationals:  6-4 last 10

Atlanta Braves:  6-4 last 10

The Nationals are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 55-54 record overall and have a road record of 32-20. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Braves on Friday with the series opener still to be played on Thursday. Their offense ranks 1st in the MLB with a .774 OPS. Jake Irvin is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Foster Griffin is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 12-2 with a 2.76 ERA this season. His team won their last 7 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 3 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 2 SO on 6 hits through 6.2 IP against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Braves are entering this series off a win and lost their 3-game series against the New York Mets 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 63-45 record overall and have a home record of 32-20. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Nationals on Friday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Thursday. Their offense ranks 9th in the MLB with a .729 OPS. Grant Holmes is one of their starting pitchers on Thursday while Bryce Elder is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 6-6 with a 3.96 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 1 earned run, 1 homer, and 4 walks with 8 strikeouts on 4 hits through 5 innings pitched against the Baltimore Orioles.

The current betting odds have the Nationals listed as an underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Nationals have looked good in their games this season with their 55-54 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL East. They have been a great road team too with their 32-20 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Braves have looked great in their games this season with their 62-44 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 32-20 home record this season. The Braves are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have been one of the top teams in the league all season, but lately they haven't looked nearly as good as they did during their hot start. The Nationals have also looked good lately, now 6-4 in their last 10 games too, and they have one of the best offenses in MLB. The Nationals are going with Griffin in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 12-2 with a 2.76 ERA and he has been their ace this year. He did give up 3 earned runs in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him in his starts and the team has been having a ton of success with him lately too, winning 7 games in a row now with him starting. The Braves are going with Elder in this one and he hasn't looked bad this season. He is 6-6 with a 3.96 ERA, but he has also been really up and down all season. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start and the team has won 2 of their last 3 games with him starting, playing a lot better now after going through a really rough stretch, but he might run into trouble here against this offense. The Braves do have a really good offense themselves, but they haven't been that consistent lately. The Nationals have also looked like a completely different team in their road games this season, so look for them to take advantage of this pitching matchup. The best way to place a bet here is on the Nationals to win this game. 

Nationals Braves Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, July 31, 2026 (7:15 pm ET start time) is Nationals 7 Braves 3.

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Washington Nationals: 192-242 (+7.3 units) on the moneyline in all games. 98-115 (+28.6 units) on the moneyline in road games. 47-59 (+14.9 units) on the moneyline when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 54% to 62%). 44-25 OVER against right-handed starters.

Atlanta Braves: 228-206 (-44.6 units) on the moneyline in all games. 117-97 (-26.6 units) on the moneyline in home games. 175-134 (-33.1 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 17-10 OVER against division opponents.

Washington Nationals:  C. Early (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. P. Poulin (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Flexor. D. Millas (C) Ten Day IL - Finger. J. Irvin (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. B. Lord (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Side. M. Parker (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Lovelady (RP) Sixty Day IL - Triceps. K. Waldichuk (SP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. J. Gray (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. D. Herz (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Atlanta Braves:  H. Kim (SS) Ten Day IL - Finger. R. Suarez (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. S. Strider (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. S. Murphy (C) Sixty Day IL - Finger. J. Wentz (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. J. Jimenez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. S. Schwellenbach (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

"That was awesome. He kept us in the game. Obviously, [it's] been a long road for him to get back to this point. One, to just get on the mound feeling healthy is one thing, but two, to have the success that he had today was huge, and hopefully gives him some confidence that he's back and he's as good as he was before and he's able to pitch and help us win." - Blake Butera after his team’s loss against the Blue Jays in their game on Wednesday.

“You can make a case that he's as good now as he's ever been in his career, and that's saying something. It's been an unbelievable career. He just defies all the laws of everything by pitching like this at this point in his career. But he's doing it, and he's doing it virtually every time out.” - Walt Weiss after his team’s win against the Mets in the 2nd game of their double-header on Wednesday.

James Wood (L) RF

Luis García Jr. (L) 1B

Brady House (R) 3B

CJ Abrams (L) DH

Harry Ford (R) C

Daylen Lile (L) LF

Jacob Young (R) CF

Jorbit Vivas (L) 2B

Nasim Nuñez (S) SS

Drake Baldwin (L) C

Ronald Acuña Jr. (R) DH

Matt Olson (L) 1B

Michael Harris II (L) CF

Ozzie Albies (S) 2B

Mauricio Dubón (R) LF

Mike Yastrzemski (L) RF

Austin Riley (R) 3B

Jim Jarvis (L) SS

Batting Average:  Abimelec Ortiz (.500)

Hits:  CJ Abrams (115)

Home Runs:  James Wood (30)

RBI:  CJ Abrams (82)

Stolen Bases:  Nasim Nuñez (38)

Wins:  Foster Griffin (12)

Saves:  Clayton Beeter (11)

ERA:  Trevor Williams (0.00)

Batting Average:  Jair Camargo (.500)

Hits:  Michael Harris (114)

Home Runs:  Matt Olson (28)

RBI:  Matt Olson (66)

Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuña (15)

Wins:  Chris Sale (12)

Saves:  Raisel Iglesias (22)

ERA:  Hunter Stratton (0.00)

Managers:

Washington Nationals: Blake Butera (1st season)

Atlanta Braves: Walt Weiss (1st season)