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The Oakland A's and Atlanta Braves play the second of two games tonight in Georgia.
Ronald Acuna Jr. lifted the Braves to a victory last night in the first of two games. Acuna launched two missiles, one in the first and one in the third, scoring two of the necessary three runs to defeat Oakland.
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"(Acuna) has 24 lead-off home runs. That's 7.1% of the time." - Grant McAuley
Kyle Wright started for the Braves last night. Wright allowed three hits in the first inning for two runs, but he was perfect after that. He pitched an additional seven innings and allowed just two more hits.
Pitching tonight are Jared Koenig for Oakland and Ian Anderson for the Braves.
Koenig is making his major league debut tonight. It's been a wild ride for him to make it to the show. The Chicago White Sox originally drafted Koenig in 2014, but after being drafted in the 35th round, he opted to go to college for two years. Unfortunately, he went undrafted when he re-entered the draft in 2016. He spent the next two years playing in Australia before being picked up by the A's for the 2021 season.
He has put up some impressive numbers in Triple-A this year, 2.21 ERA with 161 strikeouts in 174.1 innings. He has now been given the tall order of facing the World Champions.
Going for the Braves is slightly more experienced Ian Anderson. After a solid start to the season, Anderson has given up 13 runs in his past three starts. He'll try to straighten things out against Oakland.
Oakland A's vs. Atlanta Braves Match Details
Fixture: Oakland A's @ Atlanta Braves
Date & Time: Wednesday, June 8, 7:20 p.m. EDT
Venue: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
Oakland A's vs. Atlanta Braves Betting Odds
Oakland A's vs. Atlanta Braves Best Picks
No matter how much pitching experience a player has or how many leagues they have played in, nothing can prepare them for an MLB start. Even if a pitcher has a great first game, they usually give up a few runs in the first inning, and there's no reason to think Koenig will be different.
A Run to be Scored in the First Inning (-122)
"Absolute FILTH from Jared Koenig" - @ Australian Baseball League
One break for Koenig making his start against the World Champion Braves is that they love to strike out. So Koenig will likely take an L and give up a run in the first, but he should hit his strikeout prop.
Jared Koenig Over 3.5 Strikeouts (-128)
Oakland A's vs. Atlanta Braves Prediction
It's always fun to watch a pitcher debut, as you never know if you're witnessing history. Koenig could be the next Nolan Ryan, or this could be his only performance in the show. While it's likely something in-between, bettors shouldn't expect much out of his first start. Look for the Braves to jump all over this rookie.
Atlanta -1.5 (-120)
