Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves Predictions, MLB Picks, Betting Tips 8/17/2020

Game: Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves

Date: Monday, August 17, 2020

Location: Truist Park in Cumberland, GA

TV: MAS2

Odds/Point Spread: Nationals (+105) Braves (-115)

Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves (12-10, 2nd in NL East) play the Washington Nationals (7-11, 5th in NL East) at Truist Park on Monday. The line on this matchup has the Nationals coming in at +105 and the Braves are at -115. The total is set at 10. The expected starting pitchers will be Anibal Sanchez and Touki Toussaint.

Key Washington Nationals Injuries

8/15/2020 Stephen Strasburg SP Hand Expected to be out until at least Aug 25
8/14/2020 Sam Freeman RP Elbow Out for the season
8/14/2020 Starlin Castro 2B Wrist Expected to be out until at least Aug 28
8/13/2020 Roenis Elias RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 15
8/13/2020 Sean Doolittle RP Knee Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
6/29/2020 Adrian Sanchez 3B Achilles Out for the season

Key Atlanta Braves Injuries

8/15/2020 Ronald Acuna RF Wrist Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
8/14/2020 Matt Adams DH Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Aug 25
8/13/2020 Ozzie Albies 2B Wrist Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
8/7/2020 Chris Martin RP Neck Expected to be out until at least Aug 17
8/4/2020 Mike Soroka SP Achilles Out for the season
7/23/2020 Cole Hamels SP Triceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
7/21/2020 Jacob Webb RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 4
7/21/2020 Phil Pfeifer RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 4
6/26/2020 Jeremy Walker RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 1

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Nationals have a 7-11 overall record this season. Sanchez (108-111 win-loss record in his career) holds a FIP of 4.01 while he has faced 8,138 hitters in the major leagues. His earned run average is 4.02 (852 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.309. He has surrendered 1,857 base hits (8.8 hits per 9 innings) and has had 641 free passes. Sanchez has taken the ball for 1,908 innings and has earned 1,696 K's so far in his career. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.24 and they have given up 65 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .202 against the bullpen and they've struck out 70 hitters and walked 35 batters. As a team, Washington allows 9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.5 batters per nine innings. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.55. The Nationals pitchers collectively have given up 156 base hits and 79 earned runs. They have allowed 27 home runs this season, ranking them 9th in the league. Washington as a pitching staff has walked 62 batters and struck out 148. They have walked 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.39 and their FIP as a unit is 4.76.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Washington is hitting .256, good for 5th in the league. The Nationals hold a .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .312, which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 7th in MLB with 8.5 hits per game. Adam Eaton is hitting .239 with an on-base percentage of .292. He has 16 hits this season in 67 at bats with 5 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .343 and an OPS+ of 71. Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .258 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .319. He has totaled 16 hits and he has driven in 13 men in 62 at bats. His OPS+ is 132 while his slugging percentage is at .565. The Nationals have 153 hits, including 29 doubles and 23 home runs. Washington has walked 42 times so far this season and they have struck out 135 times as a unit. They have left 105 men on base and have a team OPS of .742. They score 4.39 runs per contest and have scored a total of 79 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Atlanta has a 12-10 overall mark this year. Toussaint (6-2 win-loss record in his career) is the owner of a 5.42 earned run average while allowing 8.0 hits per 9 innings. He has a SO/W ratio of 1.92 and he has faced 397 opposing batters in his pro baseball career. During his MLB career, Toussaint has conceded 78 hits and he has 100 strikeouts in 88 frames. He has surrendered a total of 53 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.477 and a FIP of 4.4. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.34 and they have given up 83 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .208 against the Braves bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 100 batters and walked 35 opposing hitters. As a team, Atlanta allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.38. The Braves pitchers as a team have surrendered 168 base knocks and 91 earned runs this season. They have given up 23 home runs this year, which ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball. Atlanta as a staff has walked 85 hitters and struck out 179 batters. They give up a walk 4.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.35 while their FIP as a staff is 4.38.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .244, good for 12th in the league. The Braves hold a .437 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .312, which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 15th in MLB with 8.1 hits per contest. Freddie Freeman comes into this matchup batting .267 with an OBP of .375. He has 20 hits this year along with 12 RBI in 75 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .493 with an OPS+ of 131. Dansby Swanson is hitting .277 this season and he has an OBP of .326. He has collected 23 hits in 83 at bats while driving in 14 runs. He has an OPS+ of 96 and a slugging percentage of .410. The Braves as a unit have 178 base hits, including 46 doubles and 31 homers. Atlanta has walked 68 times this year and they have struck out on 218 occasions. They have had 135 men left on base and have an OPS of .749. They have scored 4.91 runs per game and totaled 108 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Nationals/Braves MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Braves (-115)

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