Barstool Bush
Predictions

Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves

By Bush StaffUpdated 19d ago·2 min read
Washington NationalsWSH(55-57)
Atlanta BravesATL(66-45)
2—4
FINAL
123456789RHE
WSH
000200000242
ATL
00111010—470

Cade Cavalli (8-4, 3.56 ERA) took the ball for Washington looking for a series-salvaging outing, but he ran into an Atlanta lineup that's been mashing all weekend. On the other side, JR Ritchie (1-2, 4.26 ERA) wasn't even supposed to start Sunday — he got the call after Atlanta scratched a reliever from Saturday's game with knee discomfort, turning a scheduled bullpen day into an emergency spot start.

Show fees
FINAL
Spread
ML
Total
Nationals(55-57)
LLLLW
2
Braves(66-45)
WWWWL
4
Best BetBraves -127
Postgame

The Braves covered the moneyline exactly as argued — Atlanta's offense, not its rotation, decided this one. Ritchie held up fine through 4 innings, but the real story was Olson and Yastrzemski going deep while Cavalli let 2 homers get out, which is precisely the deeper-lineup edge the pick leaned on.

Pregame

We backed the Braves at -126 and they've since drifted in a touch to around -113 to -122, which tells you the market isn't as scared of Washington's four-game skid as it maybe should be. Atlanta's lineup is clicking against this specific opponent — three straight series wins with the long ball doing the damage — and that's the side worth trusting here.

Ritchie's last look was a mixed bag back in June against San Diego, 5 innings with 4 earned runs but 7 strikeouts, so nobody quite knew what version would show up on short notice. Atlanta's rotation has been bleeding arms for weeks between Spencer Strider's likely season-ending elbow issue and Spencer Schwellenbach still building back arm strength, which is exactly why a name like Ritchie ends up starting a series finale in the first place.

Washington Nationals
Cade Cavalli
(10-5)·3.36 ERA
Jul 28 vs Blue Jays
W
6.0IP
2ER
3K
2BB
98P
08/02 Lineup
Atlanta Braves
JR Ritchie
(1-2)·4.50 ERA
Jun 23 @ Padres
ND
5.0IP
4ER
7K
4BB
98P
08/02 Lineup

It didn't matter. Ritchie battled through 4 innings, Cavalli couldn't quite hold the line either, and the Braves offense supplied the difference with power. Mike Yastrzemski and Matt Olson each went deep — Olson's 31st homer of the season — and that was enough cushion for Atlanta's bullpen to close it out.

Washington got its 2 runs the only way it could Sunday, a hit-by-pitch and a James Wood sacrifice fly in the 4th, and an Atlanta throwing error handed the Braves an extra run in the 5th that ended up mattering. That's been the story of this series: Washington's offense has actually been one of the best in baseball by raw production this year, but it hasn't translated into series wins against a Braves club playing its best baseball of the summer.

Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
(55-57)
Aug 1L@ Braves3-8
Jul 31L@ Braves2-6
Jul 30L@ Braves4-5
Jul 29Lvs Blue Jays2-5
Jul 28Wvs Blue Jays8-6
Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
(66-45)
Aug 1Wvs Nationals8-3
Jul 31Wvs Nationals6-2
Jul 30Wvs Nationals5-4
Jul 29W@ Mets1-0
Jul 29L@ Mets2-3

The bigger picture is uglier for Washington than one series. The Nationals dropped their 5th straight and were swept in all 4 games at Truist Park, dragging a middling record further away from relevance with a trade deadline bearing down. Atlanta, meanwhile, keeps winning despite a rotation that's been forced into scramble mode — Strider likely done for the year and now Reynaldo López landing on the 15-day IL is the reason Ritchie was even out there Sunday.

Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
(8)
  • 10-Day-ILDrew Millas (C) — Milias went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Red Sox.07/15
  • 15-Day-ILBrad Lord (RP) — Lord (side) will throw a live batting practice session Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.07/24
  • 15-Day-ILPJ Poulin (RP) — Poulin will serve as the opening pitcher in Saturday's game against the Yankees, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.07/19
  • 60-Day-ILMitchell Parker (RP) — Parker underwent elbow ligament repair surgery with an internal brace Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.07/30
  • 60-Day-ILRichard Lovelady (RP) — Lovelady (triceps) began a throwing program shortly after landing on the injured list June 29 and had thrown off flat ground out to 60 feet as recently as July 3, MLB.com reports.07/19
  • 60-Day-ILDJ Herz (SP) — Herz (elbow) was diagnosed Monday with a left flexor strain, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.06/22
  • 60-Day-ILKen Waldichuk (RP) — Waldichuk (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure April 21 and is hopeful to return to game action at some point early in the 2027 season, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.06/11
  • 60-Day-ILJosiah Gray (SP) — Gray (elbow) has resumed a throwing program, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.05/08
Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
(9)
  • 10-Day-ILHa-Seong Kim (SS) — Kim (finger) has gone 7-for-31 (.226) with four doubles, three steals, three runs and three RBI over his last nine games for Triple-A Gwinnett.07/30
  • 15-Day-ILReynaldo Lopez (RP) — Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Saturday that Lopez (knee) will likely go on the 15-day injured list, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.08/02
  • 15-Day-ILRobert Suarez (RP) — Suarez (elbow) played catch on the field at Truist Park on Friday, Harrison Smajovits of SI.com reports.07/17
  • suspensionJurickson Profar (LF) — Profar will miss the full 2026 season after the appeal of his 162-game PED suspension was denied Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.05/08
  • 60-Day-ILSpencer Strider (SP) — Strider (elbow) appears unlikely to pitch again during the 2026 season, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.08/02
  • 60-Day-ILSpencer Schwellenbach (SP) — Schwellenbach (elbow) will likely throw a few more bullpen sessions before being cleared to face live hitters, and he hasn't yet regained his full velocity, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.08/01
  • 60-Day-ILSean Murphy (C) — Murphy (finger) has five hits over his last two games for Triple-A Gwinnett.07/30
  • 60-Day-ILJoe Jimenez (RP) — Atlanta manager Walt Weiss revealed Wednesday that Jimenez underwent another surgery on his left knee 3-to-4 weeks ago, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.05/13
  • 60-Day-ILJoey Wentz (RP) — Atlanta placed Wentz (knee) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08

None of that dented Atlanta's floor. This roster has enough offense and enough bullpen depth to paper over rotation chaos for a weekend, and Sunday was the clearest example yet — an emergency starter and a banged-up pitching staff still finished off a clean sweep of a divisional opponent.

Sources

MLBWashington NationalsAtlanta BravesPolymarketKalshiCade CavalliJR Ritchie