Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies Preview: Braves offense bounces back after a tough outing
The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies will begin their new series tonight. The Phillies were just swept in a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs. Philadelphia has been mediocre at home this season, with a 24-24 record. The Atlanta Braves have been very good on the road, compiling a 25-18 record away from their home park. This should be a very interesting divisional matchup.
You've come to the right place to look for betting action. Below, you will find a brief preview of each team followed by a prediction for the game.
Atlanta Braves Preview:
"On the road again." - Braves
The Atlanta Braves are one of the few MLB teams in the top 10 in both offense and pitching. The pitching staff ranks seventh in the league in terms of team ERA. They will send their ace Max Fried to the mound tonight, and he has been very effective this season. Fried has a 10-3 record to go along with an ERA of 2.64. He has faced Philadelphia once already, producing a quality start.
The Braves offense ranks 10th in the MLB in many important categories. They have been led by Austin Riley, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Matt Olson. The three sluggers have contributed a lot of key hits and runs to the Braves' season, and they will be asked to do the same tonight.
The key to victory for Atlanta is to give Fried run support. If they can put up a good amount of runs, they will be in a great position to rebound from last night's loss to the LA Angels.
Philadelphia Phillies Preview:
"Monday night lineup. #RingTheBell" - Philadelphia Phillies
Considering the amount of money the Philadelphia Phillies front office spent this off-season, they have greatly underperformed. Both the offense and the pitching staff have struggled with consistency, but the bullpen has been a major problem. If they want to have a chance in this game, they need to limit their bullpen usage to only the back-end guys.
The Phillies will send Ranger Suarez to the mound for this contest. Suarez has pitched against the Atlanta Braves twice this season, giving up at least four runs in both games. This is not a great trend for Phillies' bettors. The key to victory for the Philadelhia Phillies is to make it a high-scoring game. The Braves offense will most likely produce a good amount of runs, so Philadelphia needs to keep pace.
Pick/Prediction: Braves Team Total over 4.5 (-130)
The Braves have been very good against left-handed pitchers this season. Tonight, they will have another favorable matchup with a southpaw. We're going with the Braves offense to put up 5+ runs in this game. Let's go Braves!