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The Atlanta Braves will finish their three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday at Camden Yards at Oriole Park. We're here to share our MLB odds series by making a Braves-Orioles prediction and pick while showing you how to watch.
Braves-Orioles Projected Starters
Reynaldo Lopez vs. Cole Irvin
Reynaldo Lopez (3-2) with a 1.85 ERA
Last Start: Lopez had a solid outing in his last time out when he allowed two earned runs on six hits while striking out seven in a no-decision against the Washington Nationals. Amazingly, it was his second straight quality start and the third over four outings.
2024 Road Splits: Lopez is 1-2 with a 2.60 ERA on the road this season, being an unfortunate victim of a lack of run support.
Cole Irvin (6-2) with a 2.87 ERA
Last Start: Irvin went 5 2/3 innings while allowing three earned runs on eight hits while striking out six in a win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
2024 Home Splits: Irvin is 3-1 with a 2.52 ERA in front of the faithful at Oriole Park.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Braves-Orioles Odds
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+152)
Moneyline: -102
Baltimore Orioles: +1.5 (-184)
Moneyline: -116
Over: 9 (-110)
Under: 9 (-110)
How to Watch Braves vs. Orioles
Time: 1:05 PM ET/10:05 AM PT
TV: Bally Sports South
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Braves Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Braves are still one of the best teams in the league. However, it is not difficult to admit that they look drastically weaker than ever before. Atlanta lost Spencer Strider in April due to a bone fragment. Recently, they also lost Ronald Acuna Jr. to a season-ending injury. Those are two of their best players. Thus, it's not easy to recover from that.
The Braves' struggles have been evident. They entered Wednesday on a four-game losing streak after losing the series with the Nationals and failing to score a run in the first game against the Orioles. While their slump has not knocked them out of the playoff race, it has caused some concern. Ultimately, they entered Wednesday firmly entrenched in the first wildcard spot, with a four-game advantage over the Pittsburgh Pirates. But struggling further will trim the lead.
The offense is still solid, ranking 12th in batting average and 11th in slugging percentage. Yet, it's been the inconsistency that has plagued them, as the offense also sits 14th in on-base percentage, 18th in runs, and 17th in home runs. They still have three guys who can make a difference.
Matt Olson is struggling, batting .241 with nine home runs, 34 RBIs, and 27 runs. Ultimately, if he can find the power from last season, he could become a credible threat in this offense. Austin Riley is supposed to be one of the best hitters in baseball after slugging 37 home runs last season. Unfortunately, he is batting only .225 with just three home runs, 20 RBIs, and 28 runs. Marcell Ozuna seems to be the only hitter keeping his consistency. So far, he is hitting .316 with 18 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 39 runs.
The Braves will cover the spread if the lineup can generate some runs. Then, they need Lopez to pitch a strong game.
Why The Orioles Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Orioles are 44-22 entering Wednesday's action. Somehow, that is only good enough for second place in the American League East. If the Orioles played in any other division, they would be in first, with the exception of the National League East. This team is incredibly good and one of the best in the majors.
The offense certainly keeps humming. Significantly, they are eighth in batting average, third in runs, and first in home runs and slugging percentage. The Orioles are also 16th in on-base percentage. Remarkably, they have some of the best hitters in the game.
Gunnar Henderson keeps on doing an excellent job as a leadoff hitter. So far, he is batting .274 with 21 home runs, 46 RBIs, and 55 runs. Anthony Santander has certainly not lacked power. Currently, he is hitting .224 with 14 home runs, 37 RBIs, and 35 runs. Catcher Adley Rutschman is having another good season. Ultimately, he is batting .301 with 13 home runs, 49 RBIs, and 35 runs. Ryan Mountcastle continues to be very consistent. Substantially, he is hitting .276 with 11 home runs, 32 RBIs, and 35 runs. Ryan O'Hearn has been solid, hitting .287 with nine home runs, 24 RBIs, and 25 runs.
The Orioles will cover the spread if their lineup can clobber some runs home to give themselves an early lead. Then, they Irvin to pitch well.
Final Braves-Orioles Prediction & Pick
The Braves are only 30-34 in run-line record. Conversely, the Orioles are the best team in the majors at covering the run-line record spread. Baltimore currently has a 41-25 mark in the run-line record. Overall, they have done a great job of covering the spread this season. The only main challenge they face is Lopez. If they can get past Lopez, they certainly have a great chance of covering the spread at home. But Irvin's performance on the mound could prove more indicative. They won 4-0 on Tuesday. Consequently, Baltimore is 7-3 against the spread over 10 games. In fact, all of their wins this month have covered the spread. If you believe the Orioles will win, you also believe they cover the spread.
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Final Braves-Orioles Prediction & Pick: Baltimore Orioles: +1.5 (-184)
