Braves vs Nationals Odds, Picks, and Betting Lines (August 13)
- The Atlanta Braves are -145 road favorites as they visit their NL East rivals the Washington Nationals on Friday, April 13
- Washington has lost four in a row and nine of its last 10 games; Atlanta has won nine of 13 games from the Nats this season
- See the betting odds and preview of the game by scrolling below
It’s out of the frying pan, into the fire for the Washington Nationals (50-65, 29-30 home). Swept by the New York Mets, the Nats return home to face the Atlanta Braves (59-56, 28-27 away).
The Braves have won four straight and seven of their last eight games at Nationals Park. Overall, struggling Washington has dropped four in a row. The Nationals are 1-9 through their last 10 games. That one win, though, was a 3-2 verdict at Atlanta on August 7.
Atlanta is being established as the -145 road favorite for this game.
Braves vs Nationals Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | -145 | -1.5 (+110) | O 9 (-105) |
| Washington Nationals | +125 | +1.5 (-130) | U 9 (-115) |
Odds as of August 13th at DraftKings.
Friday’s game at Nationals Park is set for a 7:05pm ET first pitch.
Morton vs Gray
| 10-4 | Record | 0-0 |
| 3.52 | ERA | 4.00 |
| 3.51 | xERA | 4.11 |
| 1.10 | WHIP | 1.33 |
| 3.36 | SO/W Ratio | 2.78 |
Morton and Gray faced each other on August 7. Neither figured in the decision as the Nationals beat the Braves 3-2. Morton allowed three hits and struck out seven over six scoreless frames.
6⃣ shutout innings for Charlie Morton. pic.twitter.com/atCxRlmXeP
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) August 8, 2021
He’s faced Washington twice this season. In those two appearances, he’s allowed nine hits and three runs over 11 innings. He got the win in a 5-3 victory over Washington on May 31.
Opponents are hitting just .125 with a .236 xwOBA off of Morton’s curveball this season. Morton has allowed only two earned runs over his past 12 innings of work. He’s the only member of the Braves rotation who hasn’t missed a starting assignment this season.
Josiah Gray is lined up and ready to start tomorrow's homestand opener against the Braves. But Davey Martinez says they want to see how they get out today's doubleheader before setting this weekend's rotation.
— Bobby Blanco (@Bobby_Blanco) August 12, 2021
Gray will be making his fifth MLB appearance and his third start. All of the rookie right-hander’s starts have come since he arrived from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Max Scherzer trade.
In his August 7 start against Atlanta, Gray checked Braves hitters on four hits and one earned run over five innings. He struck out a career-high 10 while walking just two.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Nationals Batters | Batting Average vs Morton | Braves Batters | Batting Average vs Gray |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riley Adams | .000 | Ehire Adrianza | .000 |
| Tres Barrera | .000 | Ozzie Albies | .250 |
| Josh Bell | .333 | Abraham Almonte | .000 |
| Alcides Escobar | .333 | Travis D’Arnaud | .000 |
| Luis Garcia | .000 | Adam Duvall | .000 |
| Yadiel Hernandez | .000 | Freddie Freeman | .000 |
| Carter Kieboom | .000 | Guillermo Heredia | .000 |
| Geraardo Parra | .000 | Joc Pederson | .250 |
| Victor Robles | .500 | Austin Riley | .000 |
| Adrian Sanchez | .000 | Jorge Soler | 1.000 |
| Juan Soto | 1.000 | Dansby Swanson | .250 |
| Andrew Stevenson | .000 | Stephen Vogt | .000 |
| Ryan Zimmerman | .000 | — | — |
Outfielder Jorge Soler got two hits (2-2, 1.000) and two walks off of Gray in Atlanta’s 3-2 loss to Washington on August 7. He clouted a solo homer. Shortstop Dansby Swanson doubled and was 1-for-4 (.250). Outfielder Joc Pederson is also 1-for-4 (.250).
Don’t sleep on how impactful Jorge Soler will be for the Braves 🤫pic.twitter.com/ZAxoQElaZj
— Kevin Keneely (@KevinKeneely1) August 1, 2021
Nationals first baseman Josh Bell is 2-for-6 (.333) when facing Morton. He’s homered and driven in two runs. Shortstop Alcides Escobar is also 2-for-6 (.333) against Morton. Outfielder Juan Soto is 1-for-1 (1.000).
Braves vs Nationals Pick
If Washington loses this game the Nationals will have fashioned two five-game losing streaks over their past 11 games. The Braves are 17-11 this season as an away favorite.
Washington swapped left-handed pitchers. The Nats sent Sam Clay to Triple-A Rochester and recalled Sean Nolin. Opposition hitters were slashing 318/.444/.636 off of Clay over his last nine appearances.
In his first appearance for the Nats on Thursday, Nolin allowed four runs and eight hits over three-plus innings. It was his first major-league appearance since October 3, 2015, with Oakland.
The Braves are embarking upon a nine-games-in-10-days road trip. They’ve won nine of 13 meetings from the Nats this season.
Washington surrendered 17 runs while being swept in their three-game series with the Mets. They lost two of the three games in the final at-bat.
Since trading away eight players at MLB deadline, Washington has gone 5-16. The Nats are 9-25 since July 1. Atlanta is just a game behind the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies.
Atlanta is 7-2 over the last nine games. The Braves are also 6-1 in their last seven series-opening games.
Forget about Friday the 13th. All Friday games are bad luck for Washington. The Nationals are 1-6 in their past seven Friday contests.
- Pick: Atlanta Braves (-145).
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
