MLB Saturday Preview – Atlanta Braves vs Washington Nationals
Before baseball gambling fans turn their attention to other sports betting events this weekend, we have the Saturday MLB game of the day pick for you. It’s time for our weekly baseball picks for online MLB betting action.
Season Record:
Atlanta: 11-14 SU
Washington: 13-12 SU
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Bet Baseball – Braves To Feel Wrath of Revitalized Hernandez
Braves @ Nationals
Kenshin Kawakami v. Livan Hernandez
One month into the season and the Washington Nationals aren’t the worst team in the league. Go figure. Instead, the Nationals are hovering around .500 ball, staying competitive and proving they can field a pretty good team before the inevitable call-up of super prospect Steven Strasburg. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves swept the basement-dwelling Houston Astros over the weekend, yet because of a massive losing streak find themselves three games under the .500 mark. It’s not looking that stupid to start betting on the Nationals.
Why The Braves Have The Edge In This Game:
What the Braves have right now is momentum. After losing nine-straight, Atlanta managed a three-game sweep of the Astros, a nice little slump buster for the squad. The fact that Houston is the worst team in the NL Central only slightly hinders the importance of the wins. The fact is, Atlanta needed an absolute crushing of the Astros in order to prove to themselves they are, indeed, a talented team; they did just that. Those who bet on MLB know that in three games, the Braves outscored Houston 21-4 and got massive help from both sides of the ball. Jason Heyward hit two home runs and drove in six in the weekend series. Troy Glaus broke out a massive slump on Saturday with a four-RBI game. All three weekend starting pitchers for Atlanta (Derek Lowe, Tim Hudson and Tommy Hanson) picked up wins, and combined only allowed four runs in 19 2/3 innings pitched. That’s a whole lot of solid numbers for a team that really needed them.
Why The Nationals Have The Edge In This Game:
Livan Hernandez is why Washington can, and most likely will, win this game. Left for dead by so many teams last offseason, the Nationals took the chance and are reaping the benefits. MLB betting knows that in four starts this season, Hernandez has put up killer numbers: 3-1, with a 0.87 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. The 1.25:1 K/BB ratio isn’t pretty, but it won’t matter as long as he doesn’t let runs cross the plate, and in his first two starts he did just that. Hernandez started the season with 17-straight scoreless innings, and has allowed only three runs in his four starts. All of those starts went at least seven innings, although that’s not a surprising stat for a guy who basically has a rubber arm; eight times in his career Hernandez has thrown over 200 innings. At home, in a ballpark that favours pitchers, Hernandez is a beast, and until proved otherwise, should be a sure bet for a spectacular outing.
The Smart Money Bets On:
“Smart Money” and “Washington Nationals” have never been synonymous with one another, but in this game that’s the case. It’s way too early to start putting the Nationals in the same sentence as World Series betting, but they’re still a solid bet now. Hernandez gives the Nats the edge over a Braves offense that, despite a strong weekend, has looked very weak at times this year. Atlanta hasn’t proven themselves to be a competitive road team (as evident by their 3-10 record), and are running into a very hot pitcher at a pitcher’s park. Not a strong recipe for success.
Gambling Trends:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta’s last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Atlanta’s last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta’s last 7 games on the road
Atlanta is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Washington’s last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington’s last 5 games at home
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington’s last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
MLB Betting Pick: Nationals
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Poolside Rants hails from beautiful Bozeman Montana by way of Toronto, Canada. (Blame his wife for the move). He’s a Dallas Cowboys football honk. But please….don’t hold that against him. The man knows his sports and has uncanny knowledge when it comes to picking games.
