The Atlanta Braves will host the Washington Nationals in the final game of a four-game series at Nationals Park on Sunday.
The Nationals blew a 5-0 lead in back-to-back days against the Braves. On Thursday, Atlanta defeated Washington 7-6, and on Friday, Washington beat Atlanta 8-7 in 12-innings, after blowing a three-run lead in the ninth inning. The Nationals victory was lead by Juan Soto, who went 2 for 3, with three RBI, three walks, and two runs scored. Eric Thames and Yan Gomes both drove in two runs for the Nationals as well. Marcell Ozuna had a huge game for the Braves in the loss, going 5 for 6 with one home run and four RBI. The Nationals win tied the season series at 4-4 with two head-to-head games remaining heading into Saturday. This prediction is for Sunday’s game and was made before the Nationals and Braves completed their game Saturday night
The Braves lead the NL East with a 26-19 record, holding a 2.5 game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Nationals are last in the division with a 17-26 record.
Wright looking for first career win
The Braves will start Kyle Wright on Sunday, who is 0-4 o with an 8.05 ERA and 2.21 WHIP on the season. Wright is not only winless on the season but also winless in his career, posting a 0-7 record and 1.99 WHIP in 16 appearances. Against the Nationals, Wright has only made two appearances totaling 5 ⅔ innings in his career, and he has an 11.12 ERA and 2.29 WHIP.
The Atlanta Braves have put up 43 runs over the last three days. Atlanta set a National League on Wednesday for runs scored in a 29-9 victory over the Miami Marlins, followed by scoring seven runs each of the next two days.
The Braves are the highest-scoring team in baseball, averaging six runs per game, and second in batting average (.270) and total home runs (80). Marcell Ozuna leads the team with 14 home runs and is second with a .322 AVG and 41 RBI. Freddie Freeman leads the Braves with a .335 AVG, .454 OBP, and 43 RBI and has added 10 home runs. Adam Duvall has hit 13 home runs and 29 RBI, followed by Ronald Acuna Jr. (.280 AVG, 11 HR, 22 RBI), Dansby Swanson (.303 AVG 7 HR 26 RBI), and Travis d’ Arnaud (.310 AVG 7 HR 26 RBI) who are all having strong offensive seasons for the Braves. Top to bottom, Atlanta has one of the most dangerous lineups in all of baseball.
Scherzer hopes to keep Washington's slim playoff hopes alive
The Nationals will start Max Scherzer on Sunday, who is 4-2 with a 3.40 ERA and 1.33 WHIP on the season. In his career, Scherzer is 10-8 with a 3.72 ERA and 1.20 WHIP against the Braves. Scherzer has not faced the Braves this season, but active Atlanta hitters have only a .205 AVG and seven home runs against him 321 at-bats.
The Washington Nationals had an 18 -25 record thru their first 43 games last season before going on to finish the season 93-69, qualify for the NL Wildcard, and eventually win the World Series. The Nationals are only one game behind last season’s pace; unfortunately, they only have 17 games left to catch up, instead of 119, making their odds of repeating this season slim, even with the expandable playoff field. Washington is currently five games away from the final playoff spot.
Washington is batting .267 on the season, fifth in MLB, and averaging 4.9 runs per game, which is 11th in MLB. Juan Soto leads the Nationals with a .368 batting average, 11 home runs, and 31 RBI in only 30 games this season. Trea Turner is also batting .360 with nine home runs, 26 RBI, and a team-best nine stolen bases after swiping two bags on Friday.
Notable Trends
- Nationals are 5-0 in Scherzer's last 5 home starts vs. a team with a winning record.
- Braves are 1-8 in Wright's last 9 starts.
- Braves are 0-4 in Wright's last 4 road starts.
