MLB Betting: Braves vs. Nats Doubleheader

Baseball begins early Tuesday as the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals square off in a doubleheader in the nation’s capital.

Both sides enter the series on solid runs, as Atlanta is 6-1 in their last seven games and Washington is 5-1 in their last six. In Game 1 on Tuesday the expected pitching matchup is a pair of young guns, with lefty Max Fried (1-4, 3.38 ERA) for Atlanta and righty Jefry Rodriguez (0-1, 6.86 ERA) for Washington.

Fried’s last appearance was out of the bullpen over the weekend, but his last start was on July 28 versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. In that game he took the loss despite allowing only one run on two hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings. Atlanta lost 5-1 as a +118 underdog at the Bovada Sportsbook.

Rodriguez hasn’t started in the Majors since July 9, when he took the mound against the Pittsburgh Pirates and was roughed up for six runs on eight hits in five innings. Washington lost 6-3 as a -109 MLB betting favorite. He faced Atlanta out of the bullpen in June and tossed 4 2-3 shutout innings.

Scherzer gets the ball for Nats in second game

In the second game Tuesday the big guns square off with Max Scherzer (15-5, 2.33 ERA) getting the call for Washington and Sean Newcomb (10-5, 3.23 ERA) pitching for Atlanta.

Scherzer struck out 10 and allowed two runs in six innings in his last start against the Cincinnati Reds. Washington won 10-4 as a -285 favorite. In three starts against the Braves this season Scherzer is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA. Washington has won Scherzer’s last five starts and all five have gone OVER the posted total.

Newcomb is coming off a near no-hitter against the Dodgers in his last start. He had two outs in the ninth inning before the Dodgers recorded their first hit. Newcomb was pulled after the hit and was tagged with an earned run after the bullpen allowed the inherited runner to score.

Newcomb also racked up eight strikeouts in the 4-1 Dodgers win as a +136 underdog. In two starts against Washington this season Newcomb is 1-1 with a 5.56 ERA.

In 12 matchups this season between Atlanta and Washington the Braves hold the advantage with seven wins. Most of the games have been relatively low scoring with a 7-3-2 UNDER mark for totals bettors, and in Washington, in the last nine between the Braves and Nationals the UNDER is 7-2.