The Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals square off on Thursday with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Nationals Park in Washington, DC and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Kyle Wright (10-4, 2.97 ERA) will start for the Braves with Anibal Sanchez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) throwing for the Nationals.

Atlanta (53-37) lost two of three games against the New York Mets earlier this week heading into a four-game series with Washington. Wright made 17 starts this season and is coming off an outing where he allowed 3 runs on 8 hits over 7 innings last weekend against the Nationals. The Braves rank fifth in runs per game (4.7), and Austin Riley leads Atlanta with 25 home runs and 58 RBIs.

Washington (30-60) will bring a six-game losing streak into this matchup after getting swept by the Braves and Seattle Mariners in the past week. Sanchez will play in his first MLB game since the 2020 season as he comes off the 60-day injured list with a cervical neck impingement. The Nationals score 3.8 runs per game, which ranks No. 27 in the league, but Juan Soto homered in both games of yesterday’s doubleheader. He has a home run in four of his last five games.

Braves vs. Nationals

Pitchers: Ian Anderson vs. Patrick Corbin
First pitch: 7:05 p.m. ET
Braves local broadcast: Bally Sports Southeast
Nationals local broadcast: MASN
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Braves -1.5 (-130)
Run total: 9.5
Moneyline odds: Braves -215, Nationals +185

Moneyline pick: Braves -215

There is no way to know what to expect from a pitcher who has not played in an MLB game in nearly two years, so it will be much more comfortable placing your money on the favorites here even with a small payout. The Braves have advantages across the board, and they have an additional edge considering the Nationals played two games yesterday.

Player prop pick: Kyle Wright Under 4.5 strikeouts (-120)

The Braves starter has a 9.0 K/9 in his first full MLB season and for all the struggles the Nationals have had this season, they are not a lineup that strikes out very often. Washington strikes out 7.1 times per game, which is the second-fewest, and Kyle Wright struck out fewer than 5 hitters in three of his last four outings. He had been striking out more hitters earlier in the season, but hitters are starting to create more contact recently.

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