The Washington Nationals will host the Atlanta Braves on opening day from Nationals Park in a battle between two National League East foes. The Braves went 101-61 last year, winning the NL East, but they fell to the Phillies in the Division Series, three games to one. The Braves are expected to contend again and are slight favorites to win the division. The Nationals are in rebuilding mode, fresh off a 55-107 season, and they’re not expected to be much better this year. Atlanta has dominated Washington over the last few years, so we’ll see what opening day brings us.
Braves vs. Nationals Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Total | ML |
| Atlanta Braves | -1.5 (-142) | Over 7.5 (-128) | -270 |
| Washington Nationals | +1.5 (+118) | Under 7.5 (+104) | +220 |
Braves vs. Nationals Match Details
Fixture: Atlanta Braves @ Washington Nationals
Date & Time: Thursday, March 30, 1:05 p.m. EDT
Venue: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
Washington will send out Patrick Corbin, who had a 6-19 record, 6.31 ERA, and 1.70 WHIP. Corbin was one of the worst starting pitchers in all of baseball, but he is earning a lot of money and should continue to be in the Nats’ rotation for a while. Atlanta’s offense finished with a .782 OPS against lefties, the third-highest mark in the majors, so this is a favorable matchup for the visiting lineup. The Braves lineup is highlighted by stars Ronald Acuna, Austin Riley, and Matt Olson, and they also added catcher Sean Murphy, who will make his Braves debut this afternoon.
Max Fried will be taking the hill for the visitors Thursday. He went 14-7 with a 2.48 ERA in 30 starts in 2022, finishing second in Cy Young voting. The Nationals lineup was pretty bad last year, and outside of World Baseball Classic standout Joey Meneses, there aren’t many intimidating bats on the lineup card. Washington did manage to put up ten runs on Fried last year (nine earned) in 18 innings, so they may have decent success against the southpaw to open the season while Fried is still settling in.
Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals Betting Prediction
These division rivals have very different season expectations, but at the beginning of the season, everyone is 0-0. The Braves went 14-5 against the Nationals last year, but the Nats did take two of three in the opening series of the season. Even if the Nationals manage to make this a close game by the end, the Braves have a massive starting pitching advantage here. Corbin also had a 9.42 ERA versus Atlanta last year in 14 1/3 innings, so back the Braves to jump out to a decent lead by the end of the fifth inning.
