On Thursday, the Atlanta Braves (24-24) are visiting the Washington Nationals (22-27), at 6:45 p.m. ET. The Nationals have taken four straight.
As the favorite, the Braves (-154 moneyline odds to win) visit the Nationals (+129). The matchup on the mound for this contest is set with the Atlanta Braves looking to AJ Smith-Shawver (3-2), and Trevor Williams (2-5) getting the nod for the Washington Nationals.
Tuesday, the Nationals picked up a 5-3 win over the Braves, with Mitchell Parker (5.1 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 4 K) earning the win for the Nationals. Dylan Crews went 1 for 1 with a home run and an RBI to lead the offensive showing. Spencer Strider (4.1 IP, 4 R, 6 H, 3 K) took the loss for the Braves.
Ahead of watching this Braves vs. Nationals matchup, here is everything you need to know about Thursday’s action on the diamond, including viewing options.
Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals odds, line and spread
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Thursday at 12:17 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
Favorite: Braves (-154, bet $154 to win $100)Underdog: Nationals (+129, bet $100 to win $129)Over/under: 8.5Braves vs. Nationals: Game time and live stream infoGame day: Thursday, May 22, 2025Game time: 6:45 p.m. ETLocation: Washington D.C.Stadium: Nationals ParkTV channel: MASN2 and FDSSOLive stream: Watch LIVE with Fubo! (Regional restrictions may apply)
Watch Braves vs. Nationals on Fubo!
Braves stats and trendsBraves betting recordsThis season, the Braves have been favored 36 times and won 20, or 55.6%, of those games.This season Atlanta has won 12 of its 18 games, or 66.7%, when favored by at least -154 on the moneyline.The implied probability of a win from the Braves, based on the moneyline, is 60.6%.So far this season, Atlanta and its opponents have hit the over in 18 of 48 games with a total.The Braves are 22-26-0 ATS in their 48 games with a spread this season.AJ Smith-Shawver (Braves probable starter)The Braves are sending Smith-Shawver (3-2) out to make his eighth start of the season. He is 3-2 with a 2.33 ERA and 40 strikeouts through 38 2/3 innings pitched.The right-hander’s last time out came on Thursday against the Washington Nationals, when he tossed six innings, surrendering no earned runs while giving up two hits.In seven games this season, the 22-year-old has an ERA of 2.33, with 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are batting .218 against him.Smith-Shawver is trying to record his third quality start of the year.Smith-Shawver is looking for his sixth straight appearance lasting five or more innings. He averages 5.5 frames per appearance on the mound.He has had two appearances this season in which he kept his opponents to zero earned runs.He will match up with a Nationals offense that is hitting .242 as a unit (18th in MLB). It is also slugging a collective .390 (14th in MLB) with 51 total home runs (17th in MLB).Smith-Shawver has pitched six innings without giving up an earned run on two hits, while striking out six against the Nationals this season.Braves batting statsThe Braves have hit 51 homers this season, which ranks 17th in the league.Fueled by 126 extra-base hits, Atlanta ranks 14th in MLB with a .390 slugging percentage this season.The Braves rank 13th in MLB with a .246 team batting average.Atlanta has scored the 18th-most runs in the majors this season with 198 (4.1 per game).The Braves have an on-base percentage of .318 this season, which ranks 12th in the league.Atlanta ranks 16th in MLB in strikeouts per game with an average of 8.4 whiffs per contest.Nationals stats and trendsNationals betting recordsThe Nationals have been underdogs in 41 games this season and have come away with the win 20 times (48.8%) in those contests.Washington has a win-loss record of 9-15 when favored by +129 or worse by bookmakers this year.The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Nationals have a 43.7% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.Washington and its opponents have hit the over in 22 of its 48 games with a total set by oddsmakers this season.The Nationals are 26-22-0 against the spread in their 48 games that had a posted line this season.Trevor Williams (Nationals probable starter)The Nationals are sending Williams (2-5) to the mound to make his 10th start of the season. He is 2-5 with a 5.91 ERA and 38 strikeouts through 45 2/3 innings pitched.His most recent appearance was on Thursday against the Atlanta Braves, when the righty tossed 4 1/3 innings, surrendering three earned runs while allowing five hits.In nine games this season, the 33-year-old has a 5.91 ERA and 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings, while giving up a batting average of .309 to opposing hitters.Williams does not have a quality start on the season.Williams is trying to pick up his eighth start of five or more innings this season in this outing.He allowed at least one earned run in all of his outings in 2025.He meets a Braves offense that ranks 18th in the league with 198 total runs scored while batting .246 as a unit. His opponent has a collective .390 slugging percentage (14th in MLB play) and has hit a total of 51 home runs (17th in the league).In 4 1/3 innings over one appearance against the Braves this season, Williams has a 6.23 ERA and a 1.154 WHIP while his opponents are batting .263.Nationals batting statsThe Nationals average 1.0 home run per game to rank 17th in baseball with 51 total home runs.So far this season, Washington is 14th in baseball, slugging .390.The Nationals have the 18th-ranked batting average in the league (.242).Averaging 4.3 runs per game (212 total), Washington is the 13th-highest scoring team in the majors.The Nationals rank 18th in the majors with an on-base percentage of .312.