Atlanta Braves vs Washington Nationals Picks and Predictions August 23rd 2024

At 7:20 PM ET, the Nationals and Braves will face off in an NL East matchup. This one is taking place at Truist Park in Atlanta, and the Braves are the heavy favorite on the money line at -274. The Nationals have a money line payout of +222, and they are 58-70 this season, while the Braves are 68-59.

Friday’s pitching matchup features MacKenzie Gore for the Nationals and Chris Sale for the Braves. Washington comes into the game on a two-game winning streak, while the Braves have won two of their last three.

Washington vs. Atlanta Key Information

Left-hander MacKenzie Gore gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Braves on the road. This year, he has made 25 starts and has a record of 7-11 with a 4.66 ERA. Gore’s WHIP for the season is 1.58, and opponents are batting .272 off him this year. In his 25 appearances, Gore has turned in five quality starts. Looking back at his last outing, Gore took the loss, giving up five earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts.

The Nationals have been one of the league’s worst home run-hitting teams this season, and they are also just 17th in the league in scoring at 4.3 runs per game. However, they do come into the game with a few hitters who have been swinging the bat well of late. Keibert Ruiz has gone 9/31 over his last eight games with three homers, and Luis Garcia Jr. is on a four-game hitting streak.

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Luis Garcia Jr. has been the Nationals’ top hitter this season, leading the team with 63 RBIs and batting .296. His 15 homers are the 2nd most on the team, as CJ Abrams has gone deep 18 times, but is hitting just .246. Abrams is also 2nd on the team with 60 RBIs.

Chris Sale gets the start for the Braves today and comes in with a record of 14-3 and an ERA of 2.62. So far, he has made 23 starts and 13 of them have been quality starts. Sale’s WHIP for the season is .99, and he is averaging 11.96 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Sale picked up the win, going six innings and giving up two earned runs on six hits. Before that, he had three straight no-decisions. Sale has not lost a game at home this season, coming in with a record of 8-0 and 2.49 ERA.

Marcell Ozuna has been on a tear for the Braves, as he is hitting .395 over his last 10 games and has gone deep twice during that stretch. For the season, he is batting .308 and has 37 home runs, which is the 3rd best mark in the league. Ozuna also comes into the game with a team-high 94 RBIs. Matt Olson is 2nd on the team in RBIs (64) but has struggled with a batting average of just .227.

As a team, the Braves are 4th in home runs and are averaging 4.3 runs per game (16th). They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 4.5 runs per contest. Overall, they are batting .242 and have the 10th slugging percentage in the league.

Our lean for an over/under pick would be to take the over, as we have this as the 3rd lowest-scoring game of the day. For who we are leaning to take this one straight up, we like the Nationals to come out on top. The Braves have the 2nd worst team home runs projection in the league today, and Chris Sale has the highest individual strikeout projection among today’s starters.

Braves’ Chris Sale Aims for First Career Win Against Nationals

The Atlanta Braves are set to start off a three-game home series against the Washington Nationals on Friday, with ace Chris Sale taking the hill. Sale, who has been predominant the entire season, will be hoping to score his most memorable profession win against the Nationals, a group that has figured out how to evade him in past matchups.

Braves Riding Energy as They Pursue Division Lead

The Braves enter the series on a high note subsequent to getting a 3-2 triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, dominating the three-match series and restricting their shortfall in the National League East to six games. Atlanta has been in fine structure, winning four of its last five games as they keep on pushing for the division lead.

Chris Sale (14-3, 2.62 ERA), in his most memorable season with the Braves, has been a champion entertainer, driving the National League in wins and ERA among qualified starters. He additionally positions second in the league with 187 strikeouts, displaying his capacity to rule contradicting arrangements. In his last beginning against the Los Angeles Holy messengers, Sale conveyed areas of strength for another, permitting only two runs north of six innings while striking out 10, denoting his third back to back twofold digit strikeout game.

“I’m just enjoying where I’m at and having fun playing baseball again, honestly,” Sale said after his last outing. “Obviously the last few years have been well-documented, and it was tough. But people go through tough things. You get over it and here we are.”

Despite his stellar season, Sale has yet to earn a win against the Nationals in his career. In five career appearances (three starts) against Washington, Sale is 0-2 with a 3.78 ERA. His last outing against the Nationals on June 7 saw him take the loss despite a solid performance, allowing just two runs over seven innings with 10 strikeouts.

Nationals Look to Continue Success Against Braves

The Nationals, coming off an 8-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday, have had a surprising amount of success against the Braves this season. Washington has won six of the eight games played between the two teams this year, including a three-of-four series win in their last meeting in early June.

MacKenzie Gore (7-11, 4.66 ERA) will take the mound for the Nationals in the series opener. Gore has been a puzzle for the Braves, boasting a 2-0 record with a 1.74 ERA in two starts against Atlanta this season. Overall, in five career starts against the Braves, Gore is 3-1 with a 3.46 ERA, making him a formidable opponent for the Atlanta lineup.

However, Gore has struggled with consistency in recent outings, particularly with his control. He has allowed five earned runs in two of his last three starts and has struggled with walks, including a career-high six free passes two starts ago against the Angels. Nationals manager Dave Martinez emphasized the importance of Gore getting ahead in the count to maximize his effectiveness.

“He’s got to work ahead,” Martinez said. “He’s got to stay ahead. He’s got good stuff. He really does. Just got to keep harping on it.”

Key Players to Watch

For the Nationals, Luis Garcia Jr. has been a champion at the plate, proceeding to swing a hot bat. He went 2-for-4 on Thursday, raising his average to .296, and has been a reliable presence in the setup, hitting securely in 17 of his last 21 games. During this stretch, Garcia is batting .382 with four copies, four homers, 13 RBIs, six strolls, five taken bases, and 13 runs scored.

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The Braves, in the mean time, have profited from the expansion of Gio Urshela, who was gotten after third baseman Austin Riley broke his wrist. Urshela had a prompt effect in Thursday’s success against the Phillies, conveying a run-scoring twofold and turning a urgent twofold play to assist with fixing the triumph.

High Stakes as Braves Face Nationals

As the Braves and Nationals go head to head, the two groups have something to demonstrate. Chris Sale will be looking to at long last procure his most memorable success against Washington, while the Nationals mean to proceed with their prosperity against Atlanta and say something in the series. With the two groups falling off series triumphs, this matchup vows to be a cutthroat and essential series as the Braves proceed with their quest for the NL East crown and the Nationals endeavor to play spoiler.