Braves vs. Nationals Prediction, Odds, Probable Pitchers, Prop Bets for Tuesday, Sept. 1

An NL East series is set to begin on Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., as the Atlanta Braves hit the road to face the Washington Nationals and Jake Irvin.

Washington has struggled at home this season (seven games under .500), and it’s set as an underdog in this series opener against an Atlanta team that has a four-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the division.

Irvin (5.62 ERA) came off the injured list back on July 30, and he’s allowed four or more runs in four of his six starts. Washington is 8-9 in his 17 outings this season, and it’s certainly helped that the team has one of the best offenses in MLB this season, ranking third in Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+).

Atlanta has young right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver on the mound for this fourth outing of the season, and he’s coming off five innings of three-run ball against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 23-year-old has a 5.93 ERA this season, so it’s certainly possible that this Washington offense can get to him on Tuesday night.

A loss to San Francisco in a make-up game on Monday cost the Braves a game in the NL East, but they’ll aim to bounce back as road favorites on Tuesday.

Let’s dive into the odds, a player prop to bet and my prediction on Sept. 1.

Braves vs. Nationals Odds, Run Line and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Run Line

Braves -1.5 (-109)
Nationals +1.5 (-111)

Moneyline

Braves: -166
Nationals: +159

Total

10 (Over -105/Under -114)

Braves vs. Nationals Probable Pitchers

Atlanta: AJ Smith-Shawver (0-0, 5.93 ERA)
Washington: Jake Irvin (2-8, 5.62 ERA)

Braves vs. Nationals How to Watch

Date: Tuesday, Sept. 1
Time: 6:45 p.m. EST
Venue: Nationals Park
How to Watch (TV): BravesVision, Nationals.TV
Braves record: 82-56
Nationals record: 66-74

Braves vs. Nationals Best MLB Prop Bets

Braves Best MLB Prop Bet

Michael Harris II to Hit a Home Run (+362)

Earlier today, I shared in SI Betting’s best home run picks – Daily Dinger – why Harris could go deep for the second day in a row:

Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II went deep on Monday night against the San Francisco Giants, his 23rd homer of the 2026 season.

Harris has put together a monster year, hitting, .297 with 23 homers, 78 runs batted in and 10 stolen bases. He’s hitting over .300 against right-handed pitching with 15 of his 23 homers.

Now, he takes on Washington Nationals righty Jake Irvin, who allowed the most home runs in MLB last season and has already given up 14 homers in 17 appearances in 2026. Harris has thrived against Irvin in his career, hitting .292 (7-for-24) with a pair of extra-base hits.

Over the last two weeks (13 games), Harris is hitting .380 with three home runs and a 1.092 OPS. He’s a major threat to go deep even once Irvin exits, as the Washington bullpen (4.94 ERA) has allowed 94 home runs this season.

Braves vs. Nationals Prediction and Pick

This is one of the higher totals on the board on Tuesday night, but I think this pitching matchup lends itself to a high-scoring game.

Irvin struggled for the most part since coming off the injured list, and he’s given up at least four runs in over half of his starts overall in the 2026 campaign. Washington’s bullpen is 28th in the league in ERA, so the Braves should be able to make noise regardless of the pitcher.

Smith-Shawver doesn’t have a huge sample size in the 2026 season, but he’s given up more hits (14) than innings pitched (13.2) while walking eight. No matter how you feel about the Washington pitching staff, this offense has been undeniably good, ranking eighth in batting average, third in OPS and second in runs scored in 2026.

The OVER has hit in over 54 percent of Washington’s games and 60.3 percent of its home games.

Even if Smith-Shawver builds on his best start of the season, I think we’ll see enough runs on both sides to at least force a push on Tuesday night.

Pick: OVER 10 (-105 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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