In the second of a three-game series between the Washington Nationals (38-33) and the Atlanta Braves (38-33) at Nationals Park, Jordan Zimmermann (5-5, 3.75 ERA) and Shelby Miller (5-3, 1.99 ERA) get the start. The Nationals won the last game 3-1 and Washington leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jun. 24 and will air on SPSO and MASN2.
Zimmermann has a 3.15 ERA and a 5-2 record in his career against the Braves, but is up against a solid Atlanta offense that’s hitting .258 on the year. Denard Span (.308, 33 Rs, 5 HRs, 21 RBIs, 8 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run and one RBI. In his career against the Nationals, Miller is 2-0 with a 0.73 ERA. He gets a strong Washington offense that’s batting .260. Cameron Maybin (.286, 28 Rs, 6 HRs, 36 RBIs, 13 SBs) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Washington is a -158 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. When playing as the favorite, the Nationals have a 29-22 record and overall money line at -285. They have impressive records of 15-11 as the favorite and 17-12 SU within their division. They have been very patient at the plate, ranking fifth in the NL with an average of 3.1 walks per game.
Moving on to the away team, the Braves come into this game with a win percentage of .463 when playing as the underdog (25-29) and an overall money line of +608. Against divisional opponents, they are 17-16 SU and 12-12 as the underdog. The Braves average just 7.1 strikeouts per road game, good for least in the NL.
The Nationals have gotten the best of the Braves in head-to-head matchups this season, going 6-1. The Nationals will take on a right-hander (Miller) in this game and have a 27-29 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Braves will be the right-hander Zimmermann. They sport a 31-30 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – WSH, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Washington is 20-14, while Atlanta is 15-24.
The Nationals are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Braves have a 14-19 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Nationals are 6-30. The Braves have a 6-23 record when opponents outhit them.
Atlanta ranks at the bottom of the league when it comes to home runs, hitting 42 this season. Washington ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 74.
Washington and Atlanta both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Washington sits at eighth with 8.74 hits per game and Atlanta ranks sixth with 8.77.
Ranking 20th, Atlanta is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.692). Washington ranks in the top 10 at seventh with an OPS of .733.
When the Braves allow at least one home run, they are 13-25, well-matched with the Nationals who are 12-19 when allowing at least one homer.
