The Braves and the Nationals are… Battling it out for last place in the NL East with two weeks to go? It’s been a rough season for both teams, but there’s still pride and statistics on the line as the clubs prepare for a day/night doubleheader on Tuesday.
Game 1 gets going at 1:05 p.m. ET in Washington. Let’s preview this divisional matchup with the help of some of those odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Braves vs. Nationals prediction, preview
Speaking of rough seasons, let’s break down Jake Irvin before he toes the rubber this afternoon. This will be the right-hander’s 31st start of 2025 and Irvin’s eaten 162.2 innings for the Nationals. However, that’s about the only nice thing I can say. Irvin sports an ugly 5.70 ERA and a 5.65 xERA. He doesn’t strike anyone out, as evidenced by fifth percentile marks in strikeout rate (15.1%) and whiff rate (18.0%). He also gives up a lot of loud contact, as we can see with the RHP’s fifth percentile opponent barrel rate (11.8%). Put it all together and there should really be no surprise that Irvin is one of three men to concede at least 30 opponent home runs so far this year.
It’s LHBs that have been particularly troublesome for Irvin, as left-handed bats have combined to hit .284 with a .377 wOBA. Lefties are averaging 2.12 home runs per nine, as well. That makes this Atlanta lineup a very dangerous prospect for Irvin. The Braves will likely throw out four left-handed or switch-hitters in their top five spots, while the lone right-handed bat will be former NL MVP Ronald Acuna. He’s pretty good! Still, allow me to spotlight Matt Olson. The slugger hasn’t been able to live up to the lofty standards of his 2023 campaign the past two seasons, yet Olson has been quite amazing since this year’s All-Star break, slashing .304/.389/.509 with a 150 wRC+. That includes Monday, when Olson collected four hits and four RBI in this series’ opening contest. He’s red-hot.
On the other side of this pitching matchup, we’ll find long-time Angels swing-man Jose Suarez. The 27-year-old has spent the majority of his 2025 in Triple-A, throwing the ball quite well for the Gwinnett Stripers. To wit, across 43.1 innings of work, Suarez registered a 3.16 FIP with a 5.56 K/BB ratio. It’s not the largest sample in the world, but Suarez does have 61 career MLB starts already under he belt. It’s not like he’s a completely unknown commodity.
Braves vs. Nationals pick, best bet
Best Bet: Over 9 (-118)
Neither of these starters should probably be on a competitive MLB roster, so let’s bank on some crooked innings from both lineups.
