Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals - 4/5/21 MLB Picks and Prediction

Washington Nationals (0-0) vs Atlanta Braves (0-3)

Game Info: Monday, April 5, 2021 at 4:05 pm (Nationals Park)

Max Scherzer (0-0) (0.00) vs Drew Smyly (0-0) (0.00)

Betting Odds: Washington Nationals -170 / Atlanta Braves +148 --- Over/Under: 8 Click Here for the Latest Odds

The Atlanta Braves will head on the road to face the Washington Nationals on Monday in the first of a three game set. This will be Washington's first game of the year after their opening day series against the Mets was cancelled due to COVID protocol.

The Washington Nationals will come into this game having not played since March 29th. It may have been a blessing in disguise as Juan Soto and several other key players have been battling nagging injuries. The Nationals will hope to continue their success at the plate from last year. In 2020 they had a team batting average of .264 (4th), 293 runs (10th), and a .336 OBP (6th). During spring training they were 10-9. The team had a collective .262 batting average. Ryan Zimmerman was the hottest bat, hitting .481 with 6 HR and 15 RBI.

Heading to the mound for the Nationals will be Max Scherzer. He had another solid year in 2020, going 5-4 with a 3.74 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 92 strikeouts. During spring training he was 0-1 with a 3.95 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 20 strikeouts in 13.2 innings pitched.

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The Braves dropped 2 of 3 at Philadelphia to start the season. They lost their last game against the Phillies 2-1. They have now scored a combined 3 runs in their first three games. They were 0-2 with runners in scoring position last time out, and managed just 4 hits in the game. They wasted another good performance from the rotation, with starter Ian Anderson going 5 innings, allowing just 1 run with 7 strikeouts. So far this season they are hitting a collective .128, good for last in the majors.

Atlanta will start lefty Drew Smyly on Monday night. In 2020 he had five starts going 0-1 with a 3.42 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 42 strikeouts. During spring training he was 1-1 with a 3.29 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 16 strikeouts in 13.2 innings pitched.

Atlanta has been lost at the plate, and will be in a tough spot again Monday. Scherzer has done well against the current Braves lineup. They have a collective .237 batting average against him in 242 at bats with just 9 home runs and 31 RBI. Smyly has struggled against the Nationals in the past, and Washington had the fourth best average against left handed pitching in 2020. Give me the Nationals to win.

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