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It was a rainout yesterday for the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies. It is now time to continue our MLB odds series with a Braves-Phillies prediction, pick, and how-to-watch
Yesterday the winner was the weather, as the rain took out the game. The game was rescheduled for September 11th, the first day of Atlanta's next trip to Philadelphia, and will be part of a day-night doubleheader. The Phillies will keep with their plan and have Aaron Nola take the mound for the Thursday game, but the Braves AJ Smith-Sawver will no longer be the starter for this game. The Braves will send Bryce Elder to the mound, pushing Smith-Sawver to Friday.
Game one of the series saw the Braves extend their winning streak to seven straight games with the help of Spencer Strider. He went six innings and gave up just one run while striking out nine batters. Strider has now struck out 300 batters in just 35 starts, joining Dwight Gooden as the only other pitcher in history to do that. Matt Olson and Austin Riley added home runs in the game to help lead the Braves to a 4-2 victory. The Phillies' offense struggled when they had opportunities. They had 11 hits last night but went just 1-12 with runners in scoring position.
Here are the Braves-Phillies MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Braves-Phillies Odds
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+140)
Philadelphia Phillies: +1.5 (-170)
Over: 8.5 (-115)
Under: 8.5 (-105)
How To Watch Braves vs. Phillies
TV: BSSO/NBC 10
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 1:05 PM ET/ 10:05 AM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread
The Braves did not have a major offensive outing in the game one victory, but maybe the extra day of rest will help them out. Atlanta is 7-3 this year after a day off and scores nearly a run more per game than average. The Braves host one of the best offenses in the majors. They sit first in the majors in slugging, second in OBP and batting average, and third, in runs scored this year. Tuesday, Matt Olson hit his 23rd home run of the season, which ties him for third in the majors. Olson's power numbers may enjoy the extra day off. After a rest day since May 1st, Olson is 5-23 hitting, which is only .217, below his season average. Three of those five hits have been home runs, and he has walked seven times, giving him a .400 OBP.
Ronald Acuna Jr. may not have wanted the off day with how hot he has been. Acuna has been great all year, but he has been extra hot in June. He is hitting .333 this month with four home runs and 15 RBIS, adding another last night. He also stole his eighth base of the month last night. Acuna now sits tied for second in the majors in batting average, while sitting fourth in OPS. Ozzie Albies is the team leader in RBIs as of now. He is tied for sixth in the majors with 53 RBIs on the year. He added another RBI last night as well, giving him ten RBIs in his last six games. Albies has 17 this month while hitting six home runs and batting .323.
The Braves send Bryce Elder to the mound today. Elder is 5-1 this year with a 2.60 ERA. This month has not been his best. He has pitched 17.1 innings over three starts, giving up ten runs and four home runs. He has gathered two wins though. One of those wins was his last start, in which he was solid. He went six innings and gave up four hits. A solo home run was the only run scored on him as he struck out four.
Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread
The Phillies' offense struggled in game one night and the extra day of rest may not have been as good for them. The Phillies are just 5-6 after a day of rest, but more concerning, they score nearly two runs less per game in those games. They have scored just eight runs in the last three games. This is a far cry from the 30 runs they scored in the previous four games. They are currently ninth in batting average while sitting 11th in slugging, 14th in OBP, and 18th in runs scored.
Kyle Schwarber had two more hits in the game Tuesday, but he did not hit a home run or drive in a run. Schwarber was boom or bust early in the season, hitting a home run or getting out. He has been much better as of late while keeping the power. Schwarber has seven home runs this month while driving in 14 runs. He is batting .264, and while that is not amazing, it is much higher than his .191 average this year. He is walking a lot though, sitting with a .376 OBP this month.
On the note of hot hitting, Nick Castellanos first that mold. He is hitting .400 this month with an OBP of .431. That brings his average to .315 on the season, which is good for sixth in the majors. He now has hits in seven straight games, while he has driven in seven runs in that time frame. Bryce Harper is also starting to pick up again. He has just eight RBIs and does not have a home run this month, but he has nine hits in his last six games. In that time, he is hitting .333, well above his month-long average of .284. The power could change today. In his career, Bryce Harper has more home runs against the Braves than any other team he has faced.
Aaron Nola will be on the mound today for the Phillies. He is 6-5 on the season with a 4.66 ERA. His last two starts have not gone well for Nola. He has pitched 13 innings and given up ten runs in those starts. Nola has also struggled with giving up home runs this year. He has given up a home run in each of his last 11 games. He has also given up a home run in 13 of his 15 starts overall. Still, Nola has been striking out a lot of batters. He has averaged 8.84 strikeouts this year per nine innings. That is nearly a strikeout inning for Nola. If he can avoid giving up the long ball today, he should be in line for a solid start.
Final Braves-Phillies Prediction & Pick
This game changed heavily with the pitching change from yesterday. The Braves were the underdog and now are the favorite. Why? That is because of Aaron Nola. With Nola struggling to keep balls in the yard, players like Albie, Acuna Jr., Riley, and Olson could easily tee off on him, especially with the extra day of rest. The Braves have hit the most home runs in the league this year and it is not close. They have 11 more home runs than the second-place Rays. Nola is tied for eighth in the majors in home runs given up this year. Even more, the Braves improved their pitching situation and this one seems like it will be a blowout.
Final Braves-Phillies Prediction & Pick: Braves -1.5 (+140)
