Be prepared to get spoiled today baseball fans! Another inter-league showdown is scheduled to take place on Tuesday as the Oakland Athletics will battle it out with the Atlanta Braves this evening. Let's take a look at our MLB odds series, where our Athletics-Braves prediction and pick will go down.
One of the more scuffling teams that baseball has to offer, the A's are in the middle of a tough stretch that has seen themselves drop nine out of their last ten games. While Oakland has dipped 26 games below .500 at 20-36, they will try to get their season turned around by calling upon lefty Cole Irvin, who has pitched his way to a 2-2 record and a 2.96 ERA on the season.
Breaking news! The defending champs are finally above the .500 mark, as the Braves are officially streaking at just the right time. Winners of five in a row including a dismantling sweep of the Colorado Rockies, Atlanta will be eager to continue their play by sending out one of their best arms in RHP Kyle Wright, who is 5-3 with a 2.41 ERA.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Athletics-Braves MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Athletics-Braves Odds
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (+100)
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (-120)
Over: 9 (+100)
Under: 9 (-122)
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Why The Athletics Could Cover the Spread
There's the good, the bad, and the absolute ugly. The latter is putting it nicely for an A's team that has struggled in more ways than one and is in trouble of their season coming to a conclusion before they even reach the halfway point. While this may have been expected for a squad that is clearly in rebuild mode, the amount of losing that has taken place out west in Oakland cannot be sitting well within that clubhouse. Fortunately for the Athletics, the sun always rises on the start of every day, providing a feeling of hope and renewal which is exactly what this franchise needs at the moment.
In order for the Athletics to cover the spread against last year's World Series champions, the A's will need to figure out a way to go for the jugular early and often. This has rarely been the case for Oakland, which has translated in their losing ways, but jumping out to an early lead versus Atlanta should still be the formula of success for the underwhelming A's.
Consider it easier than done for a squad that has proven that they couldn't hit the broadside of a barn, as they are dead-last in the league in batting average at a poor .210 and are seemingly struggle to reach base with the worst on-base percentage at .276.
While it is difficult to find some good news to look forward to out of this team, the pitching staff has been somewhat encouraging throughout the year. With 17 quality starts from starters and a decent 1.30 WHIP from the mound, the A's best shot at covering the spread will come from their arms.
Why The Braves Could Cover the Spread
Look what we have here! The Braves seem to finally be hitting their groove 55 games into their season, and boy have they looked the part of a playoff worthy team over the past week of play. Gearing up for their first contest against Oakland since 2017, the Braves took a much-needed day off after playing in 17 straight days.
With a chance to take a collective deep break during the first week of June, the Braves couldn't be more eager to get back out on the diamond in front of their home fans. Not only that, but it appears the Braves are getting the A's at just the right time, as Oakland recently concluded one of their worst home stands in recent memory after going 1-9 that included being on the wrong end of a three-game sweep versus the Red Sox.
The Braves officially have a winning record for the first time since Apr. 9th, and will put their hot streak to the test by continuing their balanced attack of productive hitting and pitching. After scoring 14 runs in their two previous matchups against Colorado, Atlanta has now scored 243 runs on the year and possesses the fifth best slugging percentage at .415.
The offensive onslaught of the Braves alone could be more than enough to come out triumphant on Tuesday, but look no further than the pitching staff to do their job too. With a respectable 3.85 ERA as a whole, the former 2017 first-round pick in Kyle Wright is starting to become one of the Braves' more reliable pitching options with
Final Athletics-Braves Prediction & Pick
Unless you only bet on the underdogs in each matchup, this is your official warning to stay away from the A's in every possible manner. While they just cannot be trusted at the moment, they also are squaring off with a Braves team that is becoming one of the hottest clubs in baseball. This one should be an easy pick.
Final Athletics-Braves Pick: Braves -1.5 (-120)
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