Heading into game two of this NL East matchup, it will be Patrick Corbin on the mound for the Nationals (68-86, 33-45 home), facing off against the Braves (98-55, 50-28 away) and Charlie Morton. Find out my prediction for today’s Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals game in Washington.

ATLANTA BRAVES VS WASHINGTON NATIONALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Washington Nationals +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Nationals Park at 7:05 ET on Friday, September 22nd.

WHY BET THE WASHINGTON NATIONALS:

  • The Braves are just 1-2 vs. the runline in their last three road games.
  • In their five most recent games as the favorite, the Braves have gone just 2-3 against the runline.
  • The Braves are just 1-2 in Charlie Morton’s last five starts.

ATLANTA BRAVES HAVE BEEN GOOD AGAINST THE NL EAST

Atlanta comes into the game with an above .500 series record on the road at 18-5. Currently, the Braves are 1st in the NL East with an overall record of 98-55. Against the runline, they are 80-73 and have an over/under mark of 86-63. On the road, Atlanta has a runline record of 42-36.

The Braves will turn to starter Charlie Morton for their next game, with the veteran boasting an overall record of 14-12. In his 29 appearances this season, Morton has posted an ERA of 3.66 and a K/9 figure of 10.09. His FIP stands at 3.86, while his OBP is .332.

The Braves were unable to come away with a victory in Charlie Morton’s most recent start, as they fell to the Marlins 16-2. In the contest, Morton went 4 2/3 innings and gave up six earned runs on six hits.

Across their last five games, the Braves’ offense is 3rd in batting average, leading to an average of 5.4 runs per contest in that span. Overall, they are the 1st ranked scoring offense and posted a season-long OPS of .844 on 293 (1st). On average, they have struckout 7 times per game compard to 3.3 walks.

Ozzie Albies has been a consistent offensive force for the Braves this season, boasting a .274 batting average and .509 slugging percentage. In the team’s last ten games, Albies has been particularly impressive, leading Atlanta in hits with a .380 batting average.

WILL THE WASHINGTON NATIONALS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

The Nationals’ record of 68-86 has them ranked 5th in the NL East. So far, they have a below .500 series record of 20-26-3. This season, they have gone 33-45 at home and 35-41 on the road.

Starter Patrick Corbin has had a trying season for the Nationals, with an overall record of 10-13 in 30 appearances. His ERA stands at 5.00, and his K/9 rate is 6.37. His FIP is 5.11 and his OBP is .324.

The Nationals emerged victorious the last time Patrick Corbin took the mound, defeating the Brewers 2-1. Despite a quality start from Corbin, who pitched six innings and allowed one earned run, he was not credited with the win and ended up with a no-decision.

Offensively, Washington is ranked 19th in the league with an average of 4.3 runs per game. When looking over their last five matchups, the Nationals averaged 4.6 runs per contest, which is 10th best in that span. In terms of their power numbers, Washington is 27th in all of baseball, with a total of 144 home runs.

Over the Nationals’ last ten contests, Dominic Smith has been their most prolific home run hitter, with three long balls and a season-long total of 11. His overall batting average stands at .257.