Rob Whalen (1-1, 7.31 ERA) and Reynaldo Lopez (1-1, 5.74 ERA) take the hill in the first of a four-game series between the Atlanta Braves (44-76) and the Washington Nationals (70-49) at Turner Field. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 18 and can be seen on MASN and FSSE.
Whalen pitched 5.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering six runs and striking out five in a 7-6 defeat to the Nationals. Freddie Freeman (.288, 68 Rs, 24 HRs, 56 RBIs, 4 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. Lopez went 7.0 innings, surrendering one run, striking out two and walking two in a 7-6 win over the Braves in his most recent start. Bryce Harper (.241, 63 Rs, 21 HRs, 62 RBIs, 15 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and two RBIs.
Washington takes on Atlanta as a -153 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at nine runs. The Braves have recorded an overall money line of -712 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 41-65. Atlanta has had a discouraging season against division opponents, earning records of 20-23 and 20-27 as the underdog and SU respectively. The Braves have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 4.8 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 3.6 runs per game. Atlanta’s pitchers put it all together when division rivals are on the field. Its average runs allowed per game drops to 4.0 against fellow NL East members, compared to its 4.7 season average.
In the other locker room, in contrast to a worrisome overall money line (-43), Washington has an impressive 60-34 record when playing as the favorite. They have been playing solid baseball as favorite with a 27-11 record against NL East foes, and a 32-15 record SU. Offensively, they average four runs per game on the road, which is third in the NL. Washington is excellent at drawing walks with 3.5 per game, ranking fourth in the NL. Moving on to Washington’s pitching staff and defense, the Nationals allow just 3.6 runs per game, ranking them second in the NL. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Nationals are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.174 for the season.
The Nationals have controlled the season series, 8-1. The Braves have a 32-48 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Lopez takes the mound. Whalen (RHP) will be on the hill against the Nationals, who have a 53-38 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – WAS, O/U – Under
Notes
Atlanta has won 35% (15-28) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Washington has won 60% (30-20) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Nationals are coming into this meeting after a high-scoring game where they scored an impressive 10 runs. The Braves have a 0-9 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Braves are 32-18. The Nationals have a 52-13 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 30th in runs, Atlanta has earned 427 this season. Washington ranks eighth with 568 runs.
Ranking 19th, Atlanta is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 347 this season. Washington ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 411.
The Braves are 25-29 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Nationals are 56-27 when they hit at least one homer.
