The Atlanta Braves (96-58) are on the road to face the Washington Nationals (53-100) at Nationals Park on Tuesday. The Braves took Monday’s series opener 8-0, their 13th head-to-head victory in 17 games this season. Starter Bryce Elder threw a complete game shutout. He allowed only six hits, striking out six and walking one en route to the win. Marcell Ozuna was 2 for 4 with a home run and a double in the win. He scored two runs and drove in two. Matt Olson added a home run and three RBIs. Luis Garcia went 2 for 3 with a double for the Nationals.
ON THE MOUND
Kyle Muller (1-1, 10.57 ERA) is slated to get the start for Atlanta. The lefty allowed two runs over five innings in his last start, a 5-2 road win over the Marlins on August 13. He was credited with the win, yielding three hits while striking out five and walking one. Muller is making his first appearance against the Nationals this season. Muller made one start against the Nationals in 2021, an 8-4 home victory on August 6. He surrendered three runs on two hits over 4.2 innings, striking out three and walking two. Righty Paolo Espino (0-7, 4.17 ERA) gets the ball for Washington. He has made four appearances against the Braves this season, including three starts, giving up 11 runs (9 ER) over 16.1 innings (0-1, 4.96) with 15 strikeouts and five walks. In his last start on Wednesday, Espino took a no-decision on the road against the Braves. He threw four innings and gave up two runs (1 ER) on four hits, striking out two and walking two in the 3-2 victory.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Atlanta has averaged 4.6 runs a game, a small drop compared to their season average of 4.9. Against righties like Espino this season, the Braves have a .752 OPS, fourth highest in the league. Ronald Acuna Jr. has been the team’s biggest on-base threat against right-handers with a .358 OBP in 450 at-bats. Washington is averaging only 2.4 runs per game in the last five, down from 3.8 for the season, with their slash line dropping across the board (.217/.249/.331). The Nats have a .681 OPS against southpaws in 2022. With a .744 OPS over 178 at-bats, Lane Thomas has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Atlanta is on a three-game winning streak away from Truist Park, bringing their record to 44-32 in 2022. The Braves have scored 4.9 runs per game away from home, while allowing 4.0 runs. Washington has gone 24-51 at their home park this season, averaging 3.7 runs per game while surrendering 5.3. Atlanta is 9-1 in the last 10 games between the NL East rivals at Nationals Park with an average scoreline of 7.5-3.6.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Braves are second in the NL East, one games behind the division-leading Mets. They currently occupy one of the Wild Card spots, sitting first with a magic number of zero. The Nationals are fifth in the NL East, 43 games behind the Mets.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Atlanta Braves
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
