Atlanta Braves vs Washington Nationals Matchup Preview - March 30th, 2023

The Atlanta Braves enter the game as the 19th ranked team per The Sharp Model X's Power Rankings and will battle the 23rd ranked Nationals at Nationals Park. The Braves rank 2nd in MLB in home runs and will likely lean on that power in their attempt to win today. If the Nationals want to win they'll need to generate more power than they've mustered thus far, as they rank 28th in home runs this season.

Atlanta Braves Insights

• Max Fried has been given more leash than the typical pitcher since the start of last season, throwing 4.8 more adjusted pitches-per-game than league average.

• Ronald Acuna Jr. has been unlucky with his home runs this year; his 16.90 HR per 600 plate appearances rate is quite a bit lower than his 26.90 Expected HR/600 (based on The Sharp Model X's interpretation of Statcast data).

• Projected catcher Sean Murphy grades out as a good pitch framer, according to The Sharp Model projection system.

Washington Nationals Insights

• It may come as a surprise, but fastballs are generally a pitcher's least effective pitch. Patrick Corbin has utilized his secondary pitches 5.9% less often this season (37.7%) than he did last season (43.6%).

• Luis Garcia's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last year to this one, rising from 42.5% to 52.2%.

• The Washington Nationals bullpen projects as the 3rd-worst in Major League Baseball, via The Sharp Model.