Subscribe
Follow Us
The Philadelphia Phillies will host the Atlanta Braves for the second game of this series after the Phillies took the first game last night with a 6-4 win. The Braves have been fighting hard for that top seed in the division but slowly falling further behind as they continue to hit speed bumps. These teams are no strangers to each other, but can the Phillies keep defending their home field with a win tonight? Let's find out.
Here are the Braves-Phillies MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Braves-Phillies Odds
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+140) (-120 ML)
Philadelphia Phillies: +1.5 (-170) (+102 ML)
Over: 7.5 (-108)
Under: 7.5 (-112)
*Watch MLB Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread
The Braves are on a mission to steal the top spot in the NL East from the Mets as they currently sit just 2.0 games behind them with an overall record of 58-40. The Braves are well aware that they're starting to slip behind in the standings, but they can't let that get to them and focus on one game at a time. Getting the starting nod for pitching today will be Spencer Strider, as he's had a pretty good season so far, pitching a 4-3 record and 3.03 ERA. On the other side of the bat, the Braves have a very good offense, ranking in the top five for runs scored per game. They'll look to keep the ball rolling and get a win tonight to keep moving in the right direction.
Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread
The Phillies are having a pretty okay season considering they've had to deal with injuries to some top players all season long (Bryce Harper and Jean Segura mainly). With that said, they're 50-46 on the season but still 9.0 behind the Mets in the NL East. They're over .500, but if they want to grab a wild-card spot, they'll have to win just a bit more, to try to sneak in where they can. Ace Aaron Nola will get the starting spot on the mound tonight as he is having a decent season, pitching a 6-7 record and 3.13 ERA.
He's considered one of the better pitchers in the league, but if the team around him can't score runs, then it's mainly all for nothing. The good news is that the Phillies are ranked in the top ten for runs scored, and in the top half for nearly every other offensive category. But the question remains, can they help Nola and get some runs on the board early?
Final Braves-Phillies Prediction & Pick
So this game scares me, I'm not going to lie. It may seem like instinct to automatically bet on the defending World Series champions, but the Braves have lost a lot of trust with me. One day they'll be doing amazing and all is good, so you bet on them just to lose 9-1 against a far inferior team (Angles). Something about the Braves makes me uneasy and scared to bet for them. Maybe it could be a fluke, but it seems like the games where they should have easy wins are the ones that they mess up. With that said, this game in particular is looking to be pretty competitive, which is just what the Braves need. It could come back to haunt me, but I'm taking the Braves Moneyline tonight.
Final Braves-Phillies Prediction & Pick: Braves ML (-120)
