Braves vs Nationals Picks, Predictions & Splits (Apr 23)

• The Atlanta Braves are -140 road favorites as they visit the Washington Nationals
• Atlanta has won seven of its last eight
• Read below for the my Braves vs Nationals picks, predictions and betting splits

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The Atlanta Braves will look to win their series with the Washington Nationals, when they play their final game of a 4-game set Thursday.

With wins in seven of their last eight, the books tend to agree, pegging them road favorites in the MLB odds.

First pitch goes at 1:05pm ET from Nationals Park in Washington, DC, with MLB.TV providing the broadcast coverage.

Read below for my Braves vs Nationals picks, updated odds and betting splits.

Braves vs Nationals Odds

The graphic above shows the best available odds, which are subject to change

Atlanta opened at -145 on the moneyline but has drifted down to -130 on FanDuel, while Washington shortened from +122 to +115 at bet365. This minor shift toward the home team is notable, though the runline and total have remained static since posting.

Looking at the MLB public betting splits, the Braves command 82.1% of moneyline tickets and a staggering 95.1% of the total stake. The total tells a similar story, with the Over sweeping up 82.5% of tickets and 84.6% of the money.

Braves vs Nationals Picks & Predictions

• Best Bet: Braves ML (-135 at bet365)

If there was ever a right time to thrust a 22-year-old into the mix for his first career start, the Braves have found one, as 22-year-old JR Ritchie makes his big league debut Thursday.

Make no mistake: the kid has earned it, getting the call up from Triple-A Gwinnett after posting a 0.99 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 27.1 innings. Atlanta’s first round pick in the 2022 MLB draft has a bag of pitches to go to, set up with a fastball that tops out at 97mph.

Atlanta is on a tear right now, and the offense has come to life to support the pitching staff. The Braves have scored at least six runs in five of their wins during this streak, and they have been one of baseballs best lineups the past week, sporting a .798 OPS (sixth), while ranking third in runs and home runs.

The Braves are highly reliable when laying odds, boasting a 70.6% win rate (12-5) as the betting favorite this season.

They’ll get to face struggling righty Cade Cavalli, who has a record of 0-1 with a 4.12 ERA. That doesn’t tell the whole story, though, as the Nats have taken the L in each of his last four starts.

That isn’t all on Cavallli, who has given up seven earned runs and 19 hits in 16 innings of work across those four starts. Washington’s bullpen is a mess, ranking as one of the worst in baseball, last in the NL with a 5.37 ERA.

Atlanta has put in some work on this pitching staff already, totalling 21 runs through the first three games of this series. There should be plenty more batting around on Thursdasy.

• Best Player Prop: Matt Olson Over 1.5 total bases (+110 at bet365)

Given Cavalli’s severe command issues, taking Matt Olson Over on total bases provides an excellent edge. The left-handed slugger sits comfortably with a .352 on-base percentage and will undoubtedly see high-leverage RBI opportunities given the amount of free passes Cavalli issues (12 walks in 19.2 innings of work).