The Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves face off in the second game of a four-game set at Truist Park on Tuesday night.
The Braves took the first game in this NL East showdown by a score of 5-3 and are installed as -135 home favorites to win again.
Here are our best free Nationals vs. Braves picks and predictions for MLB betting action on Tuesday, June 1, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:20 p.m. ET.
Nationals vs Braves game info
• Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
• Date: Tuesday, June 1, 2021
• Time: 7:20 p.m. ET
• TV: BS-S, MASN
Nationals vs Braves odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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Nationals vs Braves betting preview
Starting pitchers
Stephen Strasburg (1-2, 4.43 ERA): The 2019 World Series MVP missed more than a month of action with a shoulder injury but he returned to the rotation with a strong performance against Baltimore on May 21, pitching 5 1-3 scoreless innings. In his last outing, the right-hander surrendered three runs on five hits in five innings of work against the Reds last Thursday.
Max Fried (2-2, 4.63 ERA): The 27-year-old had a breakthrough season in 2020, going 7-0 with a 2.25 ERA. While he hit the IL after getting rocked in back-to-back starts in mid-April, he has looked very sharp since recovering from that strained right hamstring. In his last outing, the southpaw allowed one run and forced 12 ground balls in seven innings against the Pirates.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Nationals: Will Harris RP (Out).
Braves: Shane Greene RP (Out), Travis d'Arnaud C (Out), Christian Pache OF (Out), Marcell Ozuna OF (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 21-5-3 in the Nationals' last 29 games following a loss. Find more MLB betting trends for Nationals vs. Braves.
Moneyline pick
Washington has lost five games in a row, dropping to last place in the NL East with a 21-29 record. The Braves have gone 5-2 in their last seven games and are in second place in the division with a 25-26 mark.
Led by Ronald Acuna Jr. and Freddie Freeman, the Braves rank fifth in the majors with an OPS of .752, with the number jumping up to .808 at home. Meanwhile, the Nats rank 15th in the majors with an OPS of .704 and have been even worse lately, posting an OPS of just .507 over the last week.
Things don't get any easier for Washington tonight with Max Fried toeing the rubber for Atlanta. Fried allowed just one run in each of his four starts in May, boasting a 1.50 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP over the month.
While Washington starter Stephen Strasburg has been one of the most reliable pitchers in the game for much of his career, he has been hindered by injuries for the past two seasons, as the veteran right-hander has thrown just 25 1-3 innings with an ERA of 5.68 since the start of 2020.
The Braves have won 19 of the last 26 meetings between these NL East rivals. Back them again today on the moneyline.
PREDICTION: Atlanta (-135)
Over/Under pick
The Nationals are fifth in the majors with a .249 batting average... but in this era, it's all about the long ball — and they rank outside the Top 20 in home runs, doubles, and triples per game.
Not being able to rack up extra-base hits has resulted in the Nats ranking 24th in the majors in scoring with 3.76 runs per game, with that number dropping to a pathetic 1.2 runs/game over their last five contests. Don't expect them to generate much offense against Fried, who has been in terrific form lately.
While Strasburg has been banged up for the last couple of seasons, there's still something to be said for a pitcher that has gone 113-61 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in his career.
With the Nationals 19-7-1 to the Under in their last 27 games overall, take the Under again tonight.
PREDICTION: Under 8.5 (-110)
Nationals vs Braves betting card
- Atlanta ML (-135)
- Under 8.5 (-110)
Picks made on 6/1/2021 at 9:15 a.m. ET
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