Leading up to game three of this NL East battle, the Braves (104-57, 52-28 home) will send Dylan Dodd to the mound to take on the Nationals (70-91, 36-44 away) and Jackson Rutledge. Find out who I like to come out on top in this Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves matchup in Atlanta.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS VS ATLANTA BRAVES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Washington Nationals +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Truist Park at 3:10 ET on Sunday, October 1st.

WHY BET THE WASHINGTON NATIONALS:

  • Over their last five games on the road, Washington is 3-2 against the runline.
  • Against the runline, the Braves have gone just 4-6 in their last ten home games.
  • Dylan Dodd has struggled of late, coming in with an ERA of 1.12 over his last two starts.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS LOOKING FOR UPSET AS ROAD UNDERDOGS

So far this season, the Nationals have a series record of 20-28-3 and overall record of 70-91. This mark has Washington placed 5th in the NL East. On the road, they have a below .500 record of 36-44.

Washington Nationals pitcher Jackson Rutledge has had an up-and-down season thus far, boasting a 1-1 record and 6.00 ERA. On the road, Rutledge’s ERA is an alarming 17.18, but he’s been much more successful when pitching at home with a 2.32 ERA. His WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) is 1.53 and opponents have hit .311 against him with a slugging percentage of .525.

Jackson Rutledge earned his fourth victory of the season in a 3-2 win over the Braves. The right-hander allowed one earned run and three hits in five innings of work.

During their last ten games, Washington is the 12th ranked offense in terms of batting average. In these games, they have hit a combined .255 and are averaging 4.8 runs per game. Across the entire season, the Nationals are hitting .253 with an OBP of .313 while averaging 4.3 runs per contest. This figure puts them 19th in the league.

Over the Nationals’ past five contests, Keibert Ruiz has been their most productive hitter, boasting a .408 batting average. Through the 2023 campaign, he has compiled a .257 average and 64 RBIs.

WILL THE ATLANTA BRAVES TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

The Braves enter today’s game with an overall record of 104-57, including putting together an above .500 mark at home (52-28). This year, Atlanta has played in 51 series and have gone 35-12-4. Currently, they are 1st in the NL East.

Today, Atlanta starter Dylan Dodd will look to limit the long ball as he has allowed a home-run in five consecutive outings. His season record stands at 2-2 with an ERA of 7.62. The righty has 14 strikeouts and a K/9 rate of 4.45, while averaging 3.49 walks per 9 innings pitched.

Dylan Dodd was dealt the defeat in his most recent start against the Pirates, as he allowed four runs on seven hits over his outing. The Braves ultimately succumbed to an 8-4 loss.

Across their last five games, the Braves’ offense is 8th in batting average, leading to an average of 5.8 runs per contest in that span. Overall, they are the 1st ranked scoring offense and posted a season-long OPS of .845 on 305 (1st). On average, they have struckout 7 times per game compard to 3.3 walks.

Over the past five games, Ozzie Albies has been the Braves’ top hitter, batting .380. This season, Albies is hitting .278 and has racked up 109 RBIs.