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On a day filled with scheduled games between teams that cannot stand each other, two divisional rivals will battle it out to conclude a lengthy four-game series as the Philadelphia Phillies take on the Atlanta Braves. Join us for our MLB odds series, where our Phillies-Braves prediction and pick will be revealed for all to see.
At 20-24, the Phillies are looking to avoid dropping their third straight series evening things out with the Braves in Thursday's finale. After defeating Atlanta in game one back on Monday, the Phillies have lost two straight including an 8-4 loss yesterday. On the mound for Philadelphia will be the likes of righty Aaron Nola, who has as electric of stuff as anyone in baseball when he is clicking on all cylinders.
The one thing going for the defending champs is that at least they have remained consistent thus far, as they have not gone on too many winning or losing streaks to start off their championship defense in 2022. RHP Kyle Wright will get the starting nod this evening, as the Braves twirler has been one of Atlanta's best arms with a 4-2 record and 2.49 ERA.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Phillies-Braves MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Phillies-Braves Odds
Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (+160)
Atlanta Braves: +1.5 (-194)
Over: 8 (-106)
Under: 8 (-114)
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Why The Phillies Could Cover the Spread
While the Phillies have struggled to keep their heads above water and find a way to maintain a winning record so far in 2022, they are at least a group that possesses an incredible amount of talent. Whether they can put all the pieces together or not remains to be seen.
The Phillies could simply cover the spread in this one thanks to one name and one name only: Mr. Bryce Harper. With the 29- year-old All-Star now in his eleventh year of baseball service, Harper leads the Phillies in almost every offensive category thanks to his stellar play and approach at the plate.
It is quite possible that Harper may indeed be on track for his most productive season in his career ever, as he is slashing .318 with ten home runs and 31 RBIs. He has no question been the thorn in the Braves' side, as Harper is 8-15 with three doubles, a home run, four RBIs, and three runs scored in this series alone.
With guys like Harper providing relief to the Philadelphia pitching arms, there is little doubt that Aaron Nola can pitch without feeling any pressure with the Phillies' offense humming like it is. With Nola remaining winless since his first outing of the season, the 28-year-old from Baton Rouge, Louisiana is due for a night where things go his way. Nola has become quite accustomed to squaring off with the Braves, as he is 12-8 with a 3.32 to go along with 142 strikeouts in 25 career starts.
Why The Braves Could Cover the Spread
The Braves sit in a similar boat as their nemesis' in the Phillies, as their 21-23 record has been as mediocre as it comes. Whether they would prefer to stay mediocrely consistent is one thing, but the Braves certainly must find a way to up their game if they want even a sniff of repeating as World Series champs. Luckily, in this series against the Phillies, Atlanta has seemingly had an answer for whatever has been thrown their way.
With Harper going absolutely berserk in this four-game set so far, the Braves have countered with some offensive firepower of their own in shortstop Dansby Swanson. A career .250 hitter, Swanson has enjoyed an uptick in his production at the plate in 2022, as the Braves middle infielder leads the team with a .268 batting average and also has hit a club-leading 23 RBIs. Currently, on an eight-game hitting streak, Swanson has gone 9-13 during the series and has belted an absurd 14-32 during his hot streak.
Switching gears to the pitching side of things, the Braves have been slightly worse than what their hitting stats have looked like thus far, as Atlanta only has the 20th best ERA in the MLB at 3.97. While there have been a couple of red flags pop up in regards to if the Braves pitching staff is talented enough to generate wins in 2022, there are only good things to be said about righty Kyle Wright.
Throughout the entirety of the year, Wright has pitched tremendously. Even with a slight hiccup against the Red Sox back on May 10th, his last start on Saturday versus Miami saw him throw five scoreless innings in which he only surrendered two hits and struck out six in the process.
Final Phillies-Braves Prediction & Pick
With the Braves maintaining all the momentum in this series and with the finale taking place this evening, Atlanta should get the job done in covering the spread thanks to their piping hot hitting and with Wright in line for the start.
Final Phillies-Braves Prediction & Pick: Braves +1.5 (-194)
