The Washington Nationals host the Atlanta Braves on April 21, 2026. First pitch from Nationals Park is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on NATS.
The Braves are favored by -143 on the moneyline and by -1.5 on the run line. The Nationals are +119 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 8.5 runs.
Find my MLB picks and Braves vs Nationals prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Braves vs Nationals Prediction
Braves vs Nationals SGP Picks:
- Braves ML
- Foster Griffin Under 4.5 Strikeouts
- James Wood Over 0.5 Home Runs
- Jacob Young Over 1.5 Total Bases
Parlay Odds: +6000 (DraftKings)
Braves vs Nationals Odds
| Braves Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +119 | 8.5 -105o / -115u | -143 |
| Nationals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -143 | 8.5 -105o / -115u | +119 |
- Braves vs Nationals moneyline: Braves -143, Nationals +119
- Braves vs Nationals over/under: 8.5 (-105o / -115u)
- Braves vs Nationals spread: Braves -1.5 (+119), Nationals +1.5 (-143)
Braves vs Nationals Pitchers
| Reynaldo Lopez (RHP, ATL) | Stat | Foster Griffin (LHP, WAS) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-0 | W-L | 2-0 |
| 0.1 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 0.2 |
| 2.18 / 3.75 | ERA / xERA | 3.05 / 4.40 |
| 4.49 / 4.33 | FIP / xFIP | 4.34 / 4.05 |
| 1.11 | WHIP | 1.26 |
| 13.1% | K-BB% | 13.8% |
| 35.7% | GB% | 39.0% |
| 88 | Stuff+ | 98 |
| 98 | Location+ | 102 |
Braves vs Nationals MLB Betting Preview
On today's episode of Payoff Pitch, Tanner McGrath, Collin Whitchurch, and Grant Neiffer somehow converged with four picks on a single game.
So, as one does, we decided to parlay them into a 60-1 SGP.
Listen to today's full episode of Payoff Pitch here:
Leg 1: Braves ML
As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t believe in Washington’s lineup.
The Nats’ batted-ball numbers never backed up their surface-level statistics during their hot start. The back half of the order is particularly weak.
And they’ve finally started to cool off, posting just an 87 wRC+ over the past two weeks.
I’m willing to keep fading the Nationals.
The Braves crush both sides, but I particularly like them against lefties because Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin are relatively split-neutral.
Hopefully, the Braves smack around Foster Griffin before bashing around Washington’s league-worst bullpen.
I also prefer the Braves’ defense, which helps negate how low we all are on Reynaldo Lopez.
Regardless, I think this line should be closer to -165.
Leg 2: Foster Griffin Under 4.5 Strikeouts
I actually like Foster Griffin. He’s an unheralded off-season signing for the Nationals after pitching for the past three years in Japan.
I don’t think he’s a superstar by any means, but he looks like a half-decent back-end starter. He throws strikes, he keeps hitters off balance, and he’s been generating his fair share of strikeouts.
While he’s struck out over four batters in three of his four starts this season, I don’t think that’s reflective of his true talent level. And as opponents gather more information on Griffin, that will make his life more difficult.
Plus, even with decent strikeout totals, he hasn’t been missing many bats. He induced just 12 swinging strikes against the Pirates and 11 against the Dodgers.
The Braves strike out at the third-lowest rate among MLB lineups. They are patient and will wait Griffin out.
Leg 3: James Wood Over 0.5 Home Runs
This season, James Wood has looked like the guy we saw at the beginning of last season.
Opposing pitcher Reynaldo Lopez has been a below-average matchup for home runs over the past few years, but he doesn't look like the same pitcher, as his stuff has been much worse.
He grades out as a plus matchup for lefty power, and even in below-average hitting weather, the odds on him to hit a homer today are far too high.
Leg 4: Jacob Young Over 1.5 Total Bases
I like Jacob Young’s matchup against Reynaldo Lopez.
He’s off to a solid start offensively, showing improved bat-to-ball skills and some extra power. His slugging and expected slugging numbers are far outpacing last year’s marks. He’s also doing it with a BABIP that’s right in line with last year and actually lower than his career average.
He should see at least two at-bats against Lopez batting out of the six spot. He’ll see just three offerings in Lopez’s four-seam, slider, or curveball, and I particularly like Young’s chances to do damage against the curveball.
Braves vs Nationals SGP Picks:
- Braves ML
- Foster Griffin Under 4.5 Strikeouts
- James Wood Over 0.5 Home Runs
- Jacob Young Over 1.5 Total Bases
Parlay Odds: +6000 (DraftKings)
