The Atlanta Braves host the Washington Nationals on May 23, 2026. First pitch from Truist Park is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on NATS.
The Braves are favored by -193 on the moneyline and by -1.5 on the run line. The Nationals are +158 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 9 runs.
Find my MLB picks and Nationals vs Braves prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Nationals vs Braves Prediction
- Nationals vs Braves Pick: Nationals ML (+158)
My Nationals vs Braves best bet is on Washington to win outright. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Nationals vs Braves Odds
| Nationals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -123 | 9 -105o / -114u | +158 |
| Braves Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +102 | 9 -105o / -114u | -193 |
- Nationals vs Braves moneyline: Nationals +158, Braves -193
- Nationals vs Braves over/under: 9 (-105o / -114u)
- Nationals vs Braves spread: Nationals +1.5 (-123), Braves -1.5 (+102)
Nationals vs Braves Probable Pitchers
| RHP Jake Irvin (ATL) | Stat | RHP Grant Holmes (ATL) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | W-L | 3-1 |
| 0.3 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 0.2 |
| 5.79 / 5.57 | ERA / xERA | 3.80 / 4.14 |
| 4.60 / 4.30 | FIP / xFIP | 4.81 / 4.48 |
| 14.2 | K-BB% | 8.0 |
| 39.8 | GB% | 42.9 |
| .323 | BABIP | .231 |
| 98 | Stuff+ | 91 |
| 100 | Location+ | 98 |
Nationals vs Braves MLB Betting Preview
On Friday night, the Nationals took a 4-2 lead in the 10th inning as +180 dogs and lost in 12 innings.
The Nationals used six relievers and the Braves used five.
Orland Ribalta (4.93 FIP through Thursday) has pitched back-to-back days for Washington and is probably not available. They added Clayton Beeter, part of their closer committee, after coming back from the IL this week.
For the Braves, Didier Fuentes threw 27 pitches, while both Robert Suarez and Dylan Lee hit the 20 pitch mark in their second of back-to-back days. Raisel Iglesias threw just 10 and should be good to go again.
However, the potential absence of two of their top three relievers could close the gap on more than a half-run edge for the Atlanta bullpen that’s been middle of the league recently (4.09 FIP/3.75 xFIP/3.37 SIERA L30 days), compared to the 24th-ranked Washington unit (4.20 FIP/4.55 xFIP/4.20 SIERA).
Slightly more importantly, Jake Irvin (4.00 SIERA/5.58 xERA) and Grant Holmes (4.72 SIERA/4.20 xERA) could be asked to carry more of the load.
I have these pitchers fairly evenly, around four and a half overall, and while Atlanta has the better team defense, the projected lineups are separated by only four FRV. Ha-Seong Kim has already racked up -4 FRV.
The Braves have been an offensive juggernaut this year (113 wRC+ Home/121 vs RHP), but are missing one of their top pieces in Drake Baldwin, while the Nationals have been more than competent themselves (102 wRC+ Road/102 vs RHP).
The projected Washington lineup actually has an eight-point better wRC+ over the last 30 days and only a six-point deficit against RHP since last season.
Nationals vs Braves Pick, Betting Analysis
The Braves get the edge here, as they do defensively and in the bullpen, but none of those edges may be very large. The Nationals also project for a minor four Base Running Runs advantage.
Yet, because the Braves are the Braves and the Nationals are the Nationals, we’re looking at a nice price on the underdog (+158).
Lastly, I also want to note that Irvin averaged 94.6 mph on his fastball last time out, a game average he has not seen since 2024. Maybe he'll have a little extra for the Braves as well.
Pick: Nationals (+158, DraftKings | Play to +147)
