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A pair of competitive teams with championship expectations will take the diamond as the Atlanta Braves take on the San Diego Padres with early-season bragging rights on the line. Join us for our MLB odds series where our Braves-Padres prediction and pick will be revealed.
With a red-hot 9-1 record on the road thus far, the Atlanta Braves are in the midst of a seven-game winning streak where they have looked nearly unstoppable to slow down. After edging out the Padres in game one of this series on Monday by a score of 2-0 to improve to 13-4 on the young season, Atlanta will send out righty Spencer Strider who has gone 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in three starts so far.
After getting off to a rockier start than expected to the season-long campaign with an 8-10 record, the San Diego Padres would want nothing more to secure a decisive victory that starts to get them going in the right direction. Even though the Friars have been bested in five of their previous six outings on the field, San Diego will try to revert to some winning ways by sending the lefty in Blake Snell to the mound. In three starts, Snell has limped his way to an 0-2 record to go along with a lofty 6.92 ERA.
Here are the Braves-Padres MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Braves-Padres Odds
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+125)
San Diego Padres: +1.5 (-150)
Over: 7.5 (-104)
Under: 7.5 (-118)
How To Watch Braves vs. Padres
TV: Bally Sports San Diego/Bally Sports South
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 9:40 ET/6:40 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread
Entering the season, the Braves certainly had some sky-high preseason expectations, and they have no doubt lived up to these standards through the season's opening 17 games. If there is one thing that Atlanta has done a tremendous job in doing thus far, it is the fact that their offense has been just about as clutch as it gets. On paper, Atlanta has scored the fifth-most runs, punished opposing pitching with a whopping .454 slugging percentage, and has also remained patient while in the batter's box with a superb .351 on-base percentage. Simply put, this Atlanta offense isn't going away any time soon, and it would not be a shocking revelation if they continued their dominance once again later this evening.
Above all else, the Braves also know how to get the job done in regard to their sturdy starting staff and bullpen. Last night versus San Diego, it was Atlanta that stole the show by punching out nine Friar hitters while also stranding six Padre baserunners. By the time the final out was recorded, the Braves' pitching staff had put together an absolute gem. With Strider set to get the start tonight, be on the lookout for the promising hurler who finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting a year ago to be sharp throughout.
Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread
Believe it or not, the Padres' offense has gone ice cold, as they have been shut out in back-to-back games and find themselves in the middle of an offensive drought. Roughly a week ago, it was the Padres that showcased their skillset by nabbing three of four games over the Braves in Atlanta's home-opening series. However, ever since then, San Diego has bit the dust.
In order for the Padres to get back on track by covering the spread and treating their home fans at Petco Park with something to cheer about, they will need to find a way to string together much more productive at-bats or else risk falling flat on their face yet again. At first glance, this San Diego lineup is far too talented to be getting shutout in back-to-back contests, as the expectations from this crew should be to at the least be one of the top-hitting teams in baseball.
Without a doubt, it will prove to be a must for the Padres to figure out their hitting woes, but the most important priority that they need to sort out will be figuring how hot to correct Snell and his mighty struggles. Acting as San Diego's Opening Day starter, the scuffling Snell has left many bewildered on why he is off to such a poor start to the season. Nevertheless, Snell is still as dynamic as they come, as his skillful pitching arsenal could leave any talented hitter dazed and confused when facing off with the southpaw. Similar to the offense, it will be extremely vital for Snell to get in a rhythm early by throwing strikes and getting ahead in counts.
Final Braves-Padres Prediction & Pick
On paper, the Braves are the hottest team in baseball while there aren't many teams who are struggling as badly as the Padres at the moment As it stands, side with Atlanta's ability to win by multiple runs to cover the spread to further increase their road dominance.
Final Braves-Padres Prediction & Pick: Braves -1.5 (+125)
