The Braves make the trip to Phoenix to face the Diamondbacks! The Braves are playing great baseball as one of the best teams in the league, while the Diamondbacks have dealt with consistency issues all year. The Braves also won the first two games in this series. Our MLB odds series has our Braves-Diamondbacks prediction, odds, and pick for Thursday.
Braves-Diamondbacks Projected Starters
Max Fried vs. Brandon Pfaadt
Max Fried (7-4) with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP
Last Start: Pitched six innings and gave up five runs on 11 hits with one walk and four strikeouts in a Braves loss.
2024 Road Splits: (5-2) 2.90 ERA
Brandon Pfaadt (3-6) with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP
Last Start: Pitched 4.1 innings and gave up one run on seven hits with zero walks and eight strikeouts in a Diamondbacks win.
2024 Home Splits: (2-2) 3.47 ERA
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Braves-Diamondbacks Odds
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+138)
Moneyline: -118
Arizona Diamondbacks: +1.5 (-166)
Moneyline: +100
Over: 8 (-105)
Under: 8 (-115)
How to Watch Braves vs. Diamondbacks
Time: 9:40 pm ET
TV: Bally Sports South
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Braves Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Braves have come out strong this season. They are 51-39 and have won four straight games leading into this matchup, including the first two in this series Their offense has taken a massive dip and is around average after being one of the best in the league. Their pitching has stayed great and they are in the top five in the MLB. Max Fried, Reynaldo Lopez, and Chris Sale have all had varying levels of success up to this point. On offense, Marcell Ozuna has dominated at the plate for Atlanta, with Orlando Arcia, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II not far behind. The Braves have lost some steam recently, but are still the most talented teams in the MLB.
The Braves are starting Max Fried to start on the mound. He has a 7-4 record, a 3.18 ERA, and a 1.15 WHIP. He has allowed 39 runs on 86 hits with 31 walks and 88 strikeouts through 102 innings. He has started in 17 games so far this season and the Braves are 12-5 in those games. Fried has been great for the Braves on the mound, but he gets a huge challenge against the Diamondbacks behind the plate.
The Braves offense has taken a huge dip and is 18th in the MLB in batting average up to this point in the season at .243. This is after they led the entire MLB in batting average last season at .276. Marcell Ozuna has been great for the Braves to open the season and leads the way in most batting categories. Ozuna leads the way in batting average at .293, in home runs at 23, in RBI at 73, in OBP at .373, and in total hits at 98. The Braves offense can compete with anyone in the league based on their talent, but they get an interesting matchup against Pfaadt on the mound where he has struggled to find much consistency.
Why The Diamondbacks Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Diamondbacks have been inconsistent this season and ravaged by injuries on their way to a 45-47 record. They have lost the first two games in this series. The Diamondbacks have had a strong season behind the plate and are in the top 10. Their pitching has struggled and is one of the worst in the league mainly due to injuries. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Ketel Marte, Joc Pederson, Corbin Carroll, Eugenio Suarez, and Christian Walker have been great on offense. Zac Gallen, Brandon Pfaadt, and Merrill Kelly, despite both Gallen and Kelly being injured. The Diamondbacks have been decimated by injuries and need to get healthy, especially on the mound.
The Diamondbacks are starting Brandon Pfaadt on the mound where he has a 3-6 record, a 4.19 ERA, and a 1.19 WHIP. Through 107.1 innings, Pfaadt has allowed 54 runs on 102 hits with 26 walks and 100 strikeouts. The Diamondbacks are 9-9 in the 18 games he has started this season. Pfaadt has been solid this season on the mound, and he gets a favorable matchup against a Braves offense that has fallen off since the injury to Acuna.
The offense for the Diamondbacks has been great this season. The Diamondbacks are ninth in the MLB in team batting average at .253 after finishing with a .250 last year. Ketel Marte and Christian Walker lead the team in almost every important batting category. Marte leads in batting average at .281, in OBP at .350, and in total hits at 96. Then, Walker leads in home runs at 22 and RBI at 65. This offense has been great, but they get a huge challenge against Max Fried for the Braves. Fried has been a standout for a great Braves pitching staff, so this is an interesting matchup with how red-hot the Diamondbacks have been behind the plate.
Final Braves-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick
The Braves have the advantage in this matchup based on winning the first two. This pitching matchup will decide the matchup and Fried is the better option than Pfaadt. However, the Diamondbacks have the offense, while the Braves do not. The Diamondbacks should cover this spread at home thanks to their offense and Pfaadt, even if the Braves might still win.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Braves-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick: Diamondbacks +1.5 (-166)
Follow Us
Subscribe
