It was not that long ago that things seemed pretty dark in Atlanta. Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider were injured; Ha-Seong Kim had slipped on some ice; Jurickson Profar was suspended for PEDs again.

However, a month into the season, the Braves are 17-8 and own a five-game lead in their division, due to the fact that no other team is above .500. Talk about a vibes shift.

Will Atlanta stay hot on Thursday? Or can the Nationals knot up this four-game series with a win? Let’s preview this NL East clash and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.

Braves vs. Nationals prediction, preview

For the second straight day, the Braves will be turning to a pitcher that will be making his first MLB start of the season. Well, actually, in the case of JR Ritchie, the Braves will be turning to a pitcher that will be making his first MLB appearance in any capacity. The 22-year-old was the 35th overall pick in the 2022 Draft, and he’s been steadily rising through Atlanta’s system in the past five years. Specific to 2026, Ritchie has made five starts in Triple-A and he’s only allowed three earned runs across 27.1 innings of work. For those without a calculator handy, that translates into an eye-popping 0.99 ERA. It’s not difficult to see why Ritchie got the call.

Supporting the rookie RHP will be the best offense in baseball — non-Dodgers division. The Braves have been red-hot in the batter’s box all season long, ranking second in the league in average (.271), wOBA (.352) and wRC+ (121). Heck, Atlanta also sits second to Los Angeles in expected batting average (.265) and expected slugging percentage (.472). None of this success is a fluke. In fact, you could make the case that the Braves have the capacity to be so much better. Ronald Acuna Jr. only has an 98 wRC+ in his 113 plate appearances. He’s been a below-average hitter and Atlanta has still managed to be this good. It’s not like Acuna won’t turn things around, either. His .398 expected wOBA is 80 points higher than his actual figure. Normalization is on the horizon.

This is all bad news for Cade Cavalli, who will toe the rubber for the Nationals this afternoon. Cavalli hasn’t been bad to begin 2026, pitching to a 3.60 FIP and limiting opponents to a 5.0% barrel rate and a 30.0% hard hit rate, but I’d also struggle to say Cavalli’s pitched well. Mainly it’s been a lack of control and command. The RHP’s 12.9% walk rate looms large for several reasons, but mainly the extra pitches have bogged Cavalli down. The 27-year-old has only gone five innings in one of his five outings this season, which means Washington has to backfill innings with a bullpen that owns an NL-worst 5.46 xERA. It’s not a formula for success, that’s for sure.

Braves vs. Nationals pick, best bet

Best Bet: Braves ML (-136)

The Nationals may have a slight advantage in the starting pitching matchup, but all that’s done is make the Braves’ moneyline odds a little more digestible. Back the club with the unstoppable lineup and fantastic bullpen.