Braves vs Nationals: Best prop bets ahead of MLB Opening day clash
A battle in the National League East takes place on Opening Day between the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals.
Braves vs Nationals is a tale of two clubs. The Braves are coming off a 100-win season and yet another NL East crown. The Nationals were one of the worst teams in baseball and are projected to finish that low again this season.
While anything can happen over the course of a 162-game schedule, here are three bets that I expect to land on Opening Day.
Braves vs Nationals prop bets
Max Fried Over 5.5 Strikeouts in Braves vs Nationals
One of the game’s best left-handed starters takes the mound on Opening Day. Max Fried gets the start for the Braves and has his line set at 5.5 strikeouts. Against a poor Nationals team, I love the over.
Fried averaged 8.9 strikeouts per 9 innings in 2022. While he most likely will only go 5 or 6 on Opening Day, I expect him to feast on Washington’s poor lineup.
FanDuel currently lists Max Fried’s 5.5 strikeout line at +108. A $10 bet turns into a profit of $10.80. I love this play on Opening Day.
Braves Spread -2.5
The clear favorite in this game is the Atlanta Braves. While you could take the outright money line at -270, I feel as though the Braves can easily beat the Nats by more than 3 runs.
Patrick Corbin starts on the mound for the Nats, and he was quite literally the worst pitcher in Major League Baseball in 2022. Pairing that with a dreadful bullpen, it is going to be hard for the Nationals to get the Braves hitters out.
Typically early in the season, pitching has the advantage over hitting, but in this instance, I expect Atlanta to be all over Washington’s arms.
If you take Atlanta to cover the -2.5 run spread, you can get +114 odds. A $10 bet would pay out $11.40 in profit.
A nice day for Fried and a Braves 3-run win feels all too comfortable to start the season.
Braves vs Nationals Same Game Parlay
If you would like to take both props in Braves vs Nationals Same Game parlay, you have that opportunity.
Combining the two props gives you a small but reasonable odds of +200. Sometimes the smartest bets are the easy ones, and this could be a nice start to your Opening Day betting.
| Max Fried – Over 5.5 Strikeouts | +108 |
| Braves -2.5 Run Spread | +114 |
| Parlay Odds | +200 |
| $10.00 bet | $20.01 profit |
A $10 bet profits you $20.01 in this two-leg parlay. Making an extra 20 bucks before the 4 pm games get rolling could be the start of a great betting day.
If you play on taking one of these props (or both), send me your bet slip @MattWatsonPSN on Twitter!
AP Photo/Brett Davis, File
