Braves vs. Nationals: Picks, predictions, how to watch Monday’s game

The Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals square off on Monday with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Atlanta will start Ian Anderson (5-3, 4.53 ERA) while Washington will counter with Josiah Gray (6-4, 4.33 ERA).

The Braves (34-27) have won 11 games in a row and haven’t registered a loss yet in the month of June. Their lineup has come alive and we are seeing the reigning World Series champions playing to their potential. Atlanta still sits in second place in the NL East as they begin a six-game road streak that starts Monday. Anderson is making his 12th start of the year and his first against Washington. In his last start, he pitched six innings and gave up six hits and two earned runs while notching his fifth win of the year.

The Nationals (23-29) were able to take two games from the Milwaukee Brewers but still remain in last place in the NL East. They lost 4-1 on Sunday and are needing to try and build some momentum. Washington takes on Atlanta for the second time this season and they went 2-1 against them in the second series of the season. Gray is making his 13th start of the season. He faced the Braves once this season and pitched five innings giving up one hit and striking out five picking up his first win of the season.

Braves vs. Nationals

Pitchers: Ian Anderson vs. Josiah Gray
First pitch: 7:05 p.m. ET
Braves local broadcast: Bally Sports Southeast
Nationals local broadcast: MASN
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Atlanta -1.5
Run total: 9.5
Moneyline odds: Atlanta -155, Washington +135

Moneyline pick: Atlanta -155

Atlanta enters with all the momentum and is facing a subpar Washington team. The Braves typically play poorly against the Nationals, but they should get a decent outing from Anderson while hitting Gray better than the first time they faced him. Combine that with their lineup hitting well and they should come away with the win.

Player prop pick: Josiah Gray Under 6.5 strikeouts (-160)

The Braves struck out fewer than 10 times in each of their last five games. They still strike out more than any other team on a per-game basis this season, but they’re making plenty of contact at the plate recently. Gray has not gone too deep into games recently, throwing more than 5 innings one time in his last four starts.

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