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In a clash between two NL East rivals only separated by one game in the division, the Philadelphia Phillies continue on with their road trip against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. With serious implications on the line in this one, it is time to take a sneak peek at our MLB odds series, where our Phillies-Braves prediction and pick will be made.
After a convincing 7-3 victory against the Braves on Monday that saw the Phillies rack up six runs in the opening three frames, Philadelphia will look to make it two-for-two as they send out RHP Kyle Gibson, who has a 3-2 record and a 3.98 ERA in 2022.
With the urgency levels at an all-time high for the defending champion Atlanta Braves, matchups versus your divisional rivals always have an extra boost of importance, no matter what time it is during the regular season. At a lackluster 19-23 through 42 games to this point, the Braves will turn to lefty Max Fried to help them inch closer to the .500 mark. Fried has posted a 4-2 record while possessing a 3.31 ERA in his eight starts.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Phillies-Braves MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Phillies-Braves Odds
Philadelphia Phillies: +1.5 (-134)
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+112)
Over: 8.5 (-112)
Under: 8.5 (-108)
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Why The Phillies Could Cover the Spread
After winning four straight contests that instilled a sense of swagger rejuvenation within the Phillies clubhouse, Philadelphia squashed that progress by dropping five of their next six games before ultimately coming out on top in their last pair of matchups against the Dodgers and Braves. It has certainly been an up and down season thus far for the Phillies, and even though the talent on paper is clearly there, the baseball club located in the City of Brotherly Love is having trouble translating it to wins.
Despite sitting eight games behind the New York Mets in the NL East, the Phillies have pitched extraordinarily over the past 32 games played. Since April 18th, Phillies starters have managed to muster up a 3.36 ERA over that stretch of time. The biggest part of this single stat has been Philly's ability to put down hitters on strikes while also avoiding giving the opposition free passes all too often. In fact, the Phillies have punched out 173 batters and have only surrendered 36 walks in the last month.
While Philadelphia did score seven runs in the victory over the Braves on Monday, RHP Zach Wheeler put on a show and continued his club's stellar pitching hot streak by lasting 6 2/3 and only giving up two runs which included ten strikeouts.
Looking to add on to Wheeler's impressive day will be the veteran himself in Kyle Gibson, who has put together a nice career with 2022 representing his eleventh year in the big leagues. Gibson has only appeared twice against the Braves in his double-digit year resume, as the 34-year-old from Indiana is 1-1 with a 4.73 ERA.
Why The Braves Could Cover the Spread
With almost nearly two months of the MLB regular season in the books, the Braves are still trying to find their identity as the lengthy campaign carries on. While Atlanta has not necessarily looked all that awe-inspiring in 2022 to this point, the Braves are still the World Series defending champs for a reason and a certain amount of respect should be put on their names regardless. With the hectic winning pace that the Mets are currently on, the rest of the NL East has to start chipping away at their eight-game plus lead before it is too little too late.
Without question, the Braves are having the hardest of times scoring runs. The departures of some premier hitting over the off-season, none more notably than longtime Brave Freddie Freeman, has put this lineup in a tailspin and have not recovered just yet. While players like OF Marcel Ozuna has been one of the lone bright spots in the dirty south with his ten-game hitting streak being extended yesterday, the cupboard has been bare from the get-go. Fellow outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr has been back for quite some time now, but saw his 29 game on-base streak come to an end in the loss to Philadelphia. Collectively, Atlanta is only smacking .226 on the season and has struggled to get hitters to reach the base-paths with a .298 on-base percentage.
Luckily, Atlanta's top starter in Max Fried will be in charge of putting together a strong quality start. With 14 career appearances under his belt against the Phillies in his career, Fried faced Philadelphia a trio of times in 2021 and went 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA. The rest of Atlanta's pitching arms have thrown averagely, as they have contained the 21st best team ERA through 42 games at 3.94.
Final Phillies-Braves Prediction & Pick
The Phillies looked the part yesterday and the Braves did not. While Tuesday offers a fresh slate for two rather inconsistent teams, Philadelphia seems more trustworthy than Atlanta at the moment. Hammer the Phillies on the road and you will not be disappointed.
Final Phillies-Braves Prediction & Pick: Phillies +1.5 (-134)
