Major League Baseball is one of the most popular sports in the world and BookMaker is the world's leading online sportsbook. If you are wagering on baseball betting odds it only makes sense to be cashing your tickets at BookMaker! The game between the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves will start at 1:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 17, 2016, at Turner Field. The matchup will be televised regionally on FOX.
In a proverbial David versus Goliath battle, the Braves will host the Nationals in the middle game of a three game series on Saturday. Everything points in Washington’s favor, but this is baseball and even the worst teams collect their share of wins over the long haul.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
This truly is a lopsided battle. The Nationals are 14-2 against the Braves this year and have won four straight games following a victory over the second place Mets on Monday.
Atlanta, meanwhile, is in dead last in the NL East and were swept by this same Nationals’ team just a week ago as part of a stretch that included seven wins in eight games and 11 wins in 14 games.
On the flip side, the Braves have lost five of seven games and sitting with a -$716 moneyline even with absurdly low expectations coming into the year. The Nationals, on the other hand, are one of only three teams in the NL with a positive total moneyline.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Gio Gonzalez is on the mound for the Nationals on Saturday and after facing Max Scherzer on Friday, the veteran southpaw will be a welcomed change of pace for the Braves.
Gonzalez has continued his regression this year. The 30-year old lefty was a Cy Young candidate back in 2012 winning 21 games, but has seen his ERA rise every year since then.
Here in 2016, Gonzo is 11-9 with a 4.27 ERA and 1.278 WHIP in 164.1 innings pitched spread over 29 starts. He’s been one to take the ball every fifth day, but at this point is little more than a middle of the pack starter.
That said, he does give his team a chance to win more often than not. The Nats have won his last four starts and he has thrown three quality starts in that time.
While that’s all positive, the other start was a six-run, three-inning affair where the offense and bullpen bailed him out. That outing was against the Braves, too, who touched him up for four runs, knocking him out in the sixth his prior appearance against them.
While Gonzo’s last outing against the Braves leaves us with some concern, it’s important to remember that Atlanta has its own issues in the rotation.
Williams Perez would be on turn to start on Saturday and he was the opposing pitching to Gonzalez back on September 6. He struggled through that start and left his next start—another bad one against the Mets—with an elbow injury.
Instead, Mike Foltynewicz is likely to get pushed up with the off day on Thursday.
Folty is 8-5 with a 4.41 ERA and 1.310 WHIP in his 21 starts. He’s thrown 118.1 innings. Sadly, those numbers make him the team’s second best starter behind Julio Teheran.
The 24-year old right-hander pitched very well against Washington a couple starts ago going six innings and allowing just a single run on five hits. He did walk three. Though after that start, Miami roughed him up for five runs on 11 hits in 3.2 innings. He isn’t overly predictable, but he’s a serviceable arm in a staff that doesn’t have many of those.
LIVE BETTING
Mark Melancon has appeared in 21 games since being acquired from the Pirates and the Nationals have won 20 of those games with Melancon allowing runs in just three appearances and pitching to a 1.83 ERA since the trade. He’s 11-for-11 in saves chances.
Melancon stabilized a bullpen that was struggling in the backend with Jonathan Papelbon. The rest of the pen was getting the job done and overall, Washington now as the best bullpen ERA in baseball at 3.27.
Washington has really turned it on since the start of August and is 25-14 since then. Melancon is part of that, but another aspect is the youngster Trea Turner.
Ben Revere failed to provide the spark atop the order the Nats expected and Turner has given them just that since his promotion. He’s got a .915 OPS, second only to potential NL MVP Daniel Murphy. He’s also already leading the team in steals with 24 in 55 games.
QUICK PICK
Gonzalez and Folty are pitching similarly, but that’s the lone similarity in this game. The Braves offense is barren outside of Freddie Freeman, particularly with Dansby Swanson leaving his last game with an injury. Matt Kemp and Nick Markakis have their positives offensively, but neither is a well-rounded threat any longer.
The Nats have the deeper lineup and better bullpen. Sure, Gonzo struggled against the Braves this season and that could keep them in the game, but the bullpen can shut the door behind him.
Still, look for the Braves to score enough to make the over a good bet, but not nearly enough to get them the win. Bank of Washington doing their thing against the lowly Braves, pounding Folty and the Atlanta bullpen.
MLB Odds: Nationals 8, Braves 5
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