In our MLB predictions for Saturday, July 16, we are breaking down the third of a four-game series between Atlanta and Washington to bring you the best Braves vs Nationals betting pick and odds. Friday’s clash from Nationals Park has been excluded from the analysis, while the Braves outlasted the Nats 5-4 in Thursday’s opener.
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Braves vs Nationals Betting Pick
This game will be played at Nationals Park at 4:05 PM ET on Saturday, July 16, 2022.
Why Bet The Braves:
✅ Max Fried will get the ball for the Braves, and the 28-year-old left-hander is 9-3 with a sharp 2.56 ERA, 2.60 FIP, and 1.07 WHIP in 18 starts (112.1 innings pitched) this season. Fried has been terrific over his previous five starts, allowing just six runs on 26 hits across 31.2 innings of work while posting a 2.16 FIP. Max ranks in the 92nd percentile in barrel percentage, while his slider has a sturdy minus-11 run value.
✅ The Nationals own a .248/.319/.362 triple-slash and 91 OPS+ against the left-handed pitchers in 2022. Their current lineup has just 38 hits, five doubles, and zero home runs in 145 at-bats against Max Fried.
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✅ The Braves’ lineup is one of the most dangerous in the MLB. Atlanta has clobbered 26 homers over its previous 14 games while slashing .258/.321/470 for the fifth-highest OPS in the majors in the last couple of weeks.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves improved to 54-37 on the season following Thursday’s victory over the Nationals. It was the Braves’ seventh straight win against Washington and eighth in their previous 11 games overall. Atlanta was sitting at the second spot in the NL East, two and a half games behind the New York Mets and seven ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Max Fried tossed five innings of a two-run ball in a 4-1 defeat to the Mets last Monday and took his first loss since April. The Braves’ bullpen has done a good job in the last ten days and 31.1 frames of work, posting a 2.87 ERA, 3.30 FIP, and 11.5 K/9.
Washington Nationals
The hapless 30-61 Nationals were riding a seven-game losing streak following Thursday’s defeat to the reigning champions. They’ve won only one of their previous 14 games overall while hitting a miserable .216/.289/.334.
Paolo Espino (0-2; 3.42ERA) will take the mound Saturday. The veteran righty has allowed ten earned runs on 17 hits in his last three starts and 12 innings pitched. The Nationals’ bullpen has a 3.65 ERA, 4.22 FIP, and 9.2 K/9 in the last ten days and 37 innings of work.