The Atlanta Braves take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. Our MLB odds series has our Braves Diamondbacks prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Braves Diamondbacks.
The Arizona Diamondbacks continue to show that they're for real. When the Major League Baseball season reaches Memorial Day — roughly the one-third mark of the whole campaign — we begin to find out of surprisingly good teams are built for the long haul. If they hold up until the All-Star break, that's one big measurement of their readiness to make the playoffs. The next measuring stick is from the end of the break until mid-August. Then comes the stretch through Labor Day weekend. Each milepost reached without a significant downward turn will affirm the Diamondbacks' credentials as a team ready to compete for the National League pennant. Manager Torey Lovullo and pitching coach Brent Strom have patiently brought along their pitching staff. The bullpen was a huge weakness last year, and though it isn't dominant this year, it is better. That improvement has meant a lot to Arizona, which has gained the top wild card spot in the National League by several games over the team's closest pursuers. The other N.L. wild card contenders are near .500, but the D-Backs — after a four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies — are 34-23 and enjoying an excellent season. Now the D-Backs will be tested by the Atlanta Braves, regarded by most as the team to beat in the National League. This should be a fun series. It certainly will be interesting. It could become pivotal.
Here are the Braves-Diamondbacks MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Braves-Diamondbacks Odds
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+128)
Arizona Diamondbacks: +1.5 (-154)
Over: 9.5 (+100)
Under: 9.5 (-122)
How To Watch Braves vs. Diamondbacks
TV: Bally Sports South (Braves) / Bally Sports Arizona (Diamondbacks) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: MLB.tv
Time: 9:40 p.m. ET/6:40 p.m. PT
*Watch Braves-Diamondbacks LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread
The Diamondbacks have had a great 57-game start to their season, but we have a long way to go to see if they are for real. They are answering challenges and responding to important situations, but they still have 105 games left in their season. They have so many more hurdles to clear before they gain elevated status in the National League and in Major League Baseball. They're still young. Their bullpen is not airtight. They also aren't playing the Colorado Rockies in this series. It's going to be a little tougher for them against the loaded Braves.
Atlanta just did lose a series in Oakland against the feeble Athletics. That might seem like a good reason to pick against Atlanta, but the other view is that the Braves simply played a bad series after a long cross-country flight and were just a little tired. They had an off day Thursday. That one fact should enable them to rest after a short flight to Phoenix from Oakland. Merely getting some rest is all it takes for a good team to play like one again.
Why The Diamondbacks Could Cover The Spread
The Diamondbacks' sweep of the Rockies showed what a National League wild card team looks like. The D-Backs keep showing that they're better, that they have matured, that they are ready for this challenge. In some games, they win by blowouts. In other games, they respond to four-run deficits, which they faced in their Monday win over Colorado. They also get huge hits in big moments, such as the game-winning, two-run, two-out single to beat the Rockies 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth on Thursday. This team is doing everything right. It has Merrill Kelly, one of its best starters, on the hill versus the Braves. Arizona is in a good spot here.
Final Braves-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick
The Diamondbacks are a good team, but the Braves just lost a series to the A's. The Braves will be mad. They will be focused. They're better than Arizona. It will show.
Final Braves-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick: Braves -1.5
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