Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves

Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves (2026-08-01). Miles Mikolas vs Reynaldo López at Truist Park.

Starters — Mikolas enters with a 5.65 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across 102 innings. His 4.59 K/9 and 1.85 BB/9 point to low swing-and-miss but decent control, while the 2.03 HR/9 is a major concern. Over his last three starts, he has allowed 6 earned runs in 11.2 innings with just 2 total strikeouts, though he did post 4 scoreless innings on July 11. The recent trend is listed up, but the home-run rate remains the key risk. López carries a 3.64 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 71.2 innings, with a stronger 8.29 K/9 and a 3.64 BB/9. His 1.26 HR/9 is more manageable than Mikolas’s. In his last three starts, he has allowed 9 earned runs in 15 innings, but that line is skewed by one rough outing on July 21. He bounced back with 5.2 scoreless innings and 6 strikeouts in his most recent start, and his trend is also up.

Teams — Washington has been the more productive offense by the raw season numbers, posting a .775 OPS and 602 runs, with a .253 team average. The issue for bettors is run prevention, as the Nationals own a 4.78 team ERA and 1.40 WHIP, and they are 4-6 over their last 10 games. Atlanta’s offense has been less explosive on paper with a .730 OPS, 537 runs, and a .249 average, but the Braves bring the better overall pitching profile with a 3.69 team ERA and 1.25 WHIP. They have also been in better recent form at 7-3 over their last 10, which supports a steadier team baseline entering this matchup.