by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Apr 13, 2022
Time: 12:20 p.m. ET
Venue: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
Where to watch: Bally Sports Southeast, MASN, MLB Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Braves -200, Nationals +170
BetMGM: Braves -200, Nationals +170
Caesars: Braves -208, Nationals +180
Season record
Nationals: 2-4
Braves: 2-3
What a strong opening weekend for Scott Rickenbach going 3-0-0 with his best MLB picks. Opening weekend definitely showcased some intriguing matchups in this very-early stages of baseball, but we know it's a six-month marathon, not a sprint, for some of these teams. The same applies for baseball betting and not getting too caught up with the sticker shock of it all. Catch Scott's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Nationals - Braves preview and analysis
The Washington Nationals might be in for another long season. At least long enough to where catching up with the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves might seem like a 100-mile trek through the Sahara Desert, maybe with a bottle of water. We haven’t decided yet.
But the Nationals still have Juan Soto, and sometimes that’s enough for this group when your best player is a .300, power-hitting destroyer of baseballs. And the Nationals will try to put things together and get a win in the finale of this three-game set in Atlanta on Wednesday.
The Nationals took the first game on Monday by a final of 11-2 with 5.1 innings of work from Josh Rogers. But on a night where Soto would normally sign, it was the No. 8 hitter Maikel Franco recording four hits and driving in five runs for the Washington victory.
"That was a great adjustment for me today, just coming back, don't think about anything, just go out there and see the ball and have a good game for me and for my team," Franco said after starting the season 1-for-13.
Franco came through in a big way with nearly one-third of his team’s hits. Lane Thomas provided two more from the seven spot. All but one player for Washington (Alcides Escobar) recorded at least one hit. Not too shabby for a team that wasn’t generating much offense in the second half of last season after trading literally everybody it could find.
But of course, as of publish time, the Nationals are getting ran out of Atlanta in the second part of this, so clearly everything you read to this point is probably going out the window, but at least there’s something to enjoy when it comes to the Nationals.
Like Juan Soto hitting his 100th homer of his career on Tuesday.
But then you get comical moments on Tuesday like Dee Gordon hitting Travis d’Arnaud with a pitch and him falling over in an Oscar-worthy performance. Or you can chalk it up to the Braves putting up 16 runs on Washington last night in scoring in all but two innings.
Six players had at least two RBI, led by Ozzie Albies’ three from the lead-off spot, and Marcell Ozuna hit two home runs to pace Atlanta in a dominant victory.
"I'm always confident," Ozuna said. "I'm always positive. I don't want to have anything negative. Just come in and be ready for the game and do damage. If I get a good pitch to hit, I'll swing."
Bryce Elder threw 5.2 innings and got the win in his MLB debut. Elder was a fifth-round pick out of Texas in 2020.
"I thought I was going to be more nervous than I was," Elder said. "They called me last night and told me. I slept actually really well. My family and some of my friends were able to come out and I thanked them for that. The last 24 hours went by really quick."
It was a good win for the Braves, but it essentially offset everything from the first matchup. The rubber match is going to be a good test for the Nats to see where this young group finds itself early in the season. Again, it’s not like the champs are world beaters through six games at 3-3 but it is an interesting chance to evaluate this team from an unusual standpoint.
Prediction
Normally I’d go with the home team here, but I’m feeling the Nats to get it done. Josiah Gray going up against Max Fried isn’t normally the matchup I’d favor here, but I like Gray to bounce back. The same can be said for Fried, but Gray has a ton of potential and I’m intrigued to watch him grow this season. I think he puts on a solid performance and gets it done. Nats win 6-4
Betting trends
Nationals are 9-16 (+1.9 net games on ML) when a road dog of +175 to +250 the past three seasons.
Nationals are 49-72 (-16.2 net on ML) against division opponents the past three seasons.
Braves are 55-32 (-3.6 net games on ML) as a favorite of -150 or more the past three seasons.
Projected lineup
Nationals:
Cesar Hernandez (S) 2B
Juan Soto (L) RF
Josh Bell (S) 1B
Yadiel Hernandez (L) DH
Keibert Ruiz (S) C
Maikel Franco (R) 3B
Lane Thomas (R) LF
Lucius Fox (S) SS
Victor Robles (R) CF
Cesar Hernandez (S) 2B
Juan Soto (L) RF
Josh Bell (S) 1B
Yadiel Hernandez (L) DH
Keibert Ruiz (S) C
Maikel Franco (R) 3B
Lane Thomas (R) LF
Lucius Fox (S) SS
Victor Robles (R) CF
Braves:
Ozzie Albies (S) 2B
Matt Olson (L) 1B
Austin Riley (R) 3B
Marcell Ozuna (R) LF
Travis d'Arnaud (R) C
Adam Duvall (R) CF
Dansby Swanson (R) SS
Guillermo Heredia (R) RF
Orlando Arcia (R) DH
Ozzie Albies (S) 2B
Matt Olson (L) 1B
Austin Riley (R) 3B
Marcell Ozuna (R) LF
Travis d'Arnaud (R) C
Adam Duvall (R) CF
Dansby Swanson (R) SS
Guillermo Heredia (R) RF
Orlando Arcia (R) DH
Starting pitchers
WSH: Josiah Gray
ATL: Max Fried
Statistical leaders
Nationals:
Batting average: Two tied -- .318
Hits: Two tied -- 7
Home runs: Two tied -- 2
RBI: Maikel Franco -- 6
Wins: Josh Rogers -- 1
Saves: Tanner Rainey -- 1
ERA: N/A
Braves:
Batting average: Matt Olson -- .474
Hits: Two tied -- 9
Home runs: Marcell Ozuna -- 2
RBI: Two tied -- 5
Wins: Three tied -- 1
Saves: Two tied -- 1
ERA: Kyle Wright -- 0.00
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert MLB picks today. And if you enjoyed this Washington Nationals -- Atlanta Braves preview, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and predictions.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
