Braves vs. Nationals Prediction and Odds for Wednesday, September 28 (Don't Trust Jake Odorizzi in NL East Battle)

The Atlanta Braves are still in a dog fight with the New York Mets for the NL East crown, so finishing strong against the Washington Nationals is an absolute.

The two teams will start a pivotal three-game series on Friday, but don't blindly bet against the Braves tonight because it's a "look ahead spot" against the Nats. Every single game is hugely important the rest of the way out.

Let's take a look at the odds tonight's NL East showdown.

Braves vs. Nationals Odds, Run Line, and Total

Braves vs. Nationals Prediction and Best Bet

The easy and obvious play would be to back the Braves in this game, but I there's a couple of reasons that make me think the OVER is the more valuable play.

First of all, the Nationals offense has surprisingly been stronger in September than it has been all season. Their season long OPS is .692, but just this month their OPS sits at .720.

Also, I don't trust either pitcher in this matchup, and that includes Jake Odorizzi. He looked like one of the better pitchers in baseball early in the season, but he's been hot garbage since being traded to the Braves. He has an ERA of 5.62 since the All-Star break.

Then there's Josiah Gray, who has a 6.57 ERA at home this season, and his total ERA is also 6.57 since the All-Star break.

Anything can happen, so don't lay down a big bet on the Braves to win. Instead, let's just sit back and root for some runs.