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It is interleague baseball as the New York Yankees pay a visit to the Atlanta Braves. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Yankees-Braves prediction, pick, and how-to watch.
In the game yesterday, it was a complete blowout as the Braves dominated the Yankees. The Yankees did take an early lead on a Harrison Bader RBI fielder's choice in the top of the first inning. Austin Riley got that run right back in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run though. In the bottom of the second, it was Isiah Kiner-Falefa's single that gave the lead back to the Yankees, but Clarke Schmidt could not hold on to it. He would give up three runs in the bottom of the second, and four more in the bottom of the third, as the Braves took a commanding lead. It would finish 11-3 for the Braves as they won their 76th game of the year.
As the Yankees have dropped four of their last five, Aaron Boone is considering making some changes to his pitching staff. The loss puts them at 60-59 on the season, 14 games out in the division and 5.5 out in the Wild Card. Meanwhile, the Braves keep scoring a lot of runs en route to their fourth win in five games. At 76-42 the Braves have the best record in baseball, and look poised to return to the playoffs.
Here are the Yankees-Braves MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Yankees-Braves Odds
New York Yankees: +1.5 (-102)
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (-118)
Over: 10.5 (-118)
Under: 10.5 (-104)
How To Watch Yankees vs. Braves
TV: TBS/YES/BSSO
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 7:20 PM ET/ 4:20 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread
The Yankees need to figure out their pitching if they are going to make a run at the postseason. In their last five games, they have given up 35 runs. On the year, the Yankees are 13th in team ERA, while sitting tenth in WHIP but tied for second in opponent batting average. It will be Luis Severino going to the mound today. He is 2-7 on the year with an 8.06 ERA. Things have not gone well for a while for Severino. Since the start of July, he is 1-5 and the Yankees have lost six of his seven starts. Meanwhile, he has an 11.71 ERA since the start of July.
The Yankees have gotten some run production in the last week though. On the season, the Yankees are tied for 20th in runs scored, while sitting 29th in batting average, 25th in on-base percentage, and 17th in slugging. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has been productive as of late. He is hitting .360 in the last week with a .385 on-base percentage. He has also stolen a base and scored twice. The most impressive part has been his six RBIs in the last week. Joining him in having six RBIs in the last week is Anthony Volpe. Volpe is hitting .278 in the last week but has a .409 on-base percentage. He has two home runs, a triple, and a double which has led to those six RBIs. He has also scored twice.
Meanwhile, Kyle Higashioka is hitting well. He is hitting .333 in the last week with a .375 on-base percentage. He has a home run and four RBIs in the last week while scoring twice. Aaron Judge has been one of the major power bats in the lineup in the last week. He is hitting .316 but has an OBP of .519 in the last week. He has two home runs and four runs scored in that time frame. Still, both home runs have been solo home runs and that accounted for his only two RBIs.
Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread
The Braves offense is on fire and looks tough to stop. This year, they are first in the majors in runs scored, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging. Multiple guys have been crushing the ball in the last week. Ozzie Albies is hitting .355 in the last week with a .429 on-base percentage. He has two home runs and 11 RBIs in the last week, with six runs scored. He was just recently injured though and is heading to the IL, so the hit bat will be missed in this game. Meanwhile, Nicky Lopez, who will get more time in the absence of Albies, has been hot too. He is hitting .700 in his limited at-bats, with a double, a home run, and eight RBIs. He also has scored five times. Lopez has done all this in just four games and ten plate appearances.
Austin Riley and Matt Olson also continue to slug. Riley is hitting .382 in the last week with a .425 on-base percentage. He has three home runs and three doubles in the last week. That has led to him driving in eight runs and scoring ten times. Meanwhile, Matt Olson is hitting .414 in the last week, with a .575 on-base percentage. Olson has hit four home runs and a double in the last week while driving in eight runs and scoring nine. Seven different players on the Braves have five or more RBIs in the last week. Meanwhile, seven different players also have OBPs of over .425 in the last week.
With how the offense is playing, Bryce Elder should be getting plenty of run support. He will get the start today and he is 8-4 with a 3.64 ERA. He has not been very solid this month though. Elder is 0-2 with a 9.64 ERA in his two starts so far this month. Both of those were on the road though, and he is 4-1 at home this year with a 3.44 ERA.
Final Yankees-Braves Prediction & Pick
Not only had Luis Severino been struggling, he has been awful on the road this year. He has an 0-5 record with a 9.89 ERA. Meanwhile, he has a .373 opponent batting average on the road. While Bryce Elder has not been good lately, that may not matter much. As noted, seven different players have OBPs over .425 for the Braves in the last week. That is only two for the Yankees. Seven different players have five or more RBIs for the Braves in the last week. That is only two for the Yankees. The Yankees as a whole have hit seven home runs in the last week. Matt Olson and Austin Riley have seven between them. This is looking like an easy victory for the Braves in this one.
Final Yankees-Braves Prediction & Pick: Braves -1.5 (-118)
