Atlanta Braves (35-16) take the best record in the National League into a three-game series against Washington Nationals (25-26) that begins Friday night in Atlanta.
Less than two months into the season, the Braves already own a 9.5-game lead in the NL East, while the Nationals are 10 games out but only a half-game behind Philadelphia for second place.
With Friday's contest set for 7:15 pm ET, it’s time to break down the matchup and discuss the best bets to make.
Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves betting picks and predictions
Atlanta Braves -1.5 (-115)
It's no fault of their own because the Nationals are not playing bad baseball at the moment, but it feels like they will be hard-pressed to even make this game competitive.
Much of that has to do with the Braves, who are not only on fire but also sending Bryce Elder to the mound for this series opener.
To say that is bad news for the visitors would be a gross understatement. Elder is in all-star if not even Cy Young form this season, sporting a 4-2 record with a 2.01 ERA and 0.99 WHIP to go along with 56 strikeouts in 62.2 innings of work.
The right-hander has made seven quality starts in 10 appearances, and in two of the exceptions he fired 5.2 innings of scoreless baseball - leaving before the necessary 6.0.
In other words, almost all of Elder's outings in 2026 have been stellar.
Washington is countering with Miles Mikolas, for whom the story is much different.
Mikolas is 1-3 with a 6.91 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in addition to a strikeout-to-walk ratio no better than 2-to-1 (28 Ks, 14 BBs in 41.2 innings).
The 37-year-old righty has not logged more than 5.2 innings in any appearance and has worked more than 5.0 only twice.
That is especially concerning since the Nationals possess one of the worst bullpens in all of baseball.
Over 9 (-110)
Adding insult to injury for the Nationals' pitching staff, the Braves' bats are lethal. Atlanta has scored 276 runs this season - good for the second most in Major League Baseball.
In its last three games at Miami earlier this week, manager Walt Weiss' club crossed the plate eight, nine and nine times.
Who is the only team to have scored more runs than the Braves in 2026? That would be none other than the Nationals with 280.
Washington may not score a ton on Friday simply because Elder is on the mound, but Atlanta should be able to do most of the heavy lifting to cash the over.
The over is 5-0 in the Braves' last five overall and 11-4-1 in the Nationals' last 16. It is also 3-0-1 in the last four meetings between these division rivals.
Another relatively high-scoring affair could be in the cards as this series gets underway.
Matt Olson Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBIs (-165)
Matt Olson is 4-for-15 (.267) lifetime against Mikolas with two home runs, two doubles and four RBIs.
Success should continue for the all-star first baseman, who is swinging the bat well this year (.274, 14 homers, 42 RBIs and 37 runs scored).
In the recent four-game series against the Marlins, Olson had four hits and four RBIs.
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Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves odds
Washington Nationals | +180 |
Atlanta Braves | -220 |
Run Line | ATL Braves -1.5 |
Total | O/U 9.0 |
Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves player props
Player home run odds
James Wood (WAS Capitals) | +325 |
CJ Abrams (WAS Capitals | +500 |
Luis Garcia (WAS Capitals) | +525 |
Matt Olson (ATL Braves) | +250 |
Michael Harris II (ATL Braves) | +325 |
Austin Riley (ATL Braves) | +390 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
