Plus Money Look For Nationals Vs Braves

Nationals vs. Braves, 7:15 ET

Wednesday is typically a very busy day in the baseball world. There are a ton of games usually as this is typically the day that most series wrap up so we have almost every team playing. However, thanks to rainouts yesterday, we get double the action in a couple of series, so this is one of the busiest days I've seen in quite a while with baseball. This one isn't a double header, but it is a game that I think we can focus on as the Nationals take on the Braves. 

The Nationals are likely to be one of the worst teams in the league. Perhaps worst is an overstatement. In reality, they aren't going to be terrible, but they won't compete for a playoff spot. The team is nine games under .500 at this point in the season and they have double the amount of road losses as they do wins. Washington is hitting just .237 and they've scored 176 runs for the season. This isn't terrible, but the pitching staff has been rather abysmal for the Nationals. Collectively, the team has a 5.42 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. The team has allowed at least four earned runs in eight straight games and have lost seven of those games in a row. Today they have Mitchell Parker taking the hill. Parker has been solid for the Nationals, going 3-3 with a 3.97 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP for the year. His road ERA looks a bit ugly, allowing nine earned runs in 16 innings. In fairness to him, this will be just his fourth start of the year on the road and he has allowed five earned in one game, the other two games were quality starts. Braves hitters haven't done all that well against Parker, hitting just .171 in 41 at-bats. 

Apr 18, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Bryce Elder (55) pitches against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

The Braves should be one of the better teams in the league. However, they did have a really rough start to the season. The team is now .500 at 21-21, but this team looked awful to start the year. They started the season 1-8, but are 20-13 since that point. I would expect the team to find ways to keep that success going with the talent that they have on the roster. They have won three of their past five games and have allowed four runs just once in the past five games. Today they send out Bryce Elder to the mound. He isn't really a top line starter, but he has done pretty well for himself and it is reasonable to expect him to be a middle-of-the-rotation type of guy. Elder is 2-2 with a 4.97 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Elder has three quality starts over his past four outings. Elder is holding Nationals to a .222 batting average over 36 at-bats. 

This is one of those games that I think the Braves should win, but it is a bit sneakier than that. The Braves don't hit Parker all that well, and Elder doesn't give up much to his opponents. If I had to pick a winner on the moneyline, I probably would take the Nationals in this. They have to win eventually. I'm running hot and don't really want to risk it on the full game so I'll take the first five innings in favor of the Nationals. I wouldn't be surprised to see the under hit for the game. 

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