Alex Wood (1-0, 3.00 ERA) and the Atlanta Braves (10-10) go up against Jordan Zimmermann (1-2, 5.23 ERA) and the Washington Nationals (8-13) in the last of a three-game division series at Turner Field. The Nationals won the last game 13-12 and the series is currently tied 1-1. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Apr. 29 and will air on MASN and SPSO.
Wood has a 1.49 ERA and a 3-1 record in his career against the Nationals, and is up against a less-than-stellar Washington offense that’s hitting just .224 on the year. A.J. Pierzynski (.439, 8 Rs, 3 HRs, 12 RBIs) continued his hot start yesterday, going 4 for 4 with one run and four RBIs. In his pitching opportunities against the Braves, Zimmermann is 4-2 with a 2.93 ERA. He meets a solid Atlanta offense that’s batting .256. Bryce Harper (.261, 14 Rs, 5 HRs, 12 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
Atlanta, a +106 underdog, will look to capitalize at home against Washington. Oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at seven runs. The Braves are 7-7 as the underdog and have an overall money line of +277. They have an SU record of 8-8 against teams in their division and a 5-6 record when they were the underdog in those games. Teams routinely struggle to score runs against the Braves, who allow only 3.8 runs per game. The Braves don’t give up many hits to opposing batters, ranking second in the NL with only 7.4 hits allowed per game.
Moving on to the opposing team, the Nationals come into this game with a weak win percentage of 6-10 when playing as the favorite (.375) and an overall money line of -954. Against fellow NL East members, they are 5-9 SU and have played poorly as the favorite with a 5-9 record. Within their division, Washington’s offense has been struggling. Washington has averaged 2.9 runs per game, compared to 3.5 for the duration of the season. Washington’s pitching staff tends to perform well when they play division rivals. They’ve allowed an average of 3.9 runs per game against teams from the NL East, lower than their season average of 4.5. They also allow just 2.6 hits per road game, good for fourth in the NL.
This game will feature Zimmermann (RHP) on the mound against the Braves, who have an 8-8 record when they take on a right-handed starter.
Predictions: SU Winner – ATL, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Nationals won by a margin of one run. The Braves are 3-6 in one-run games. The Nationals have a 4-3 record in close games.
The Nationals are 2-1 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Braves are 0-1 in such matchups.
The Nationals managed to give up seven walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Braves who are heading in with a 2-1 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Braves are 8-4. The Nationals have a 5-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Both falling in the top half of the league based on total runs this season, Atlanta ranks 12th with 89 runs and Washington is 14th with 82.
Atlanta and Washington both rank in the top 10 of the league in walks. Atlanta sits at ninth with 68 this season and Washington ranks eighth with 69.
The Braves are 6-6 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Nationals are 7-6 when they hit at least one homer.
