The Boston Red Sox host the Atlanta Braves for Game 1 of a short 2-game series! It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Braves-Red Sox prediction and pick.
The Braves are coming off three losses in a row to the New York Mets. That was a tough 5-game series for them, as the Braves had a good shot of gaining ground on the Mets in the NL East Division. Atlanta is now seven games behind the Mets and is the top Wild Card team by three games over the Philadelphia Phillies. As for Boston, they continue to struggle and the news around the team got even worse when they found out starter Chris Sale is undergoing season-ending wrist surgery. The Red Sox are heading in the wrong direction and it doesn't seem like the bus driver will turn the bus around.
Here are the Braves-Red Sox MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Braves-Red Sox Odds
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+100)
B0ston Red Sox: +1.5 (-120)
Over: 9.5 (-105)
Under: 9.5 (-115)
Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread
Charlie Morton starts once again for the Braves as the veteran is enjoying another solid campaign. The former Houston Astro is (5-5) with a 4.09 ERA in 116.2 innings this year. His last start was one of the best of the season as the right-hander pitched 6.2 innings giving up three hits and zero runs. He struck out eight Phillies after giving up six hits and four runs in the outing prior, which also happened to be against Philadelphia.
The offense is off to a somewhat nice start to the month of August. They scored 13 in the win over the Phillies early in the month and score nine in the win against the Mets back on August 5th. Not having Ozzie Albies is tough on the lineup but they are getting production from Orlando Arcia and Ehire Adrianza who are really taking over for him during his absence. The team traded for Robbie Grossman to give them some extra depth. Tonight, the Braves will need their stars to get them over the hump which includes Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley, Matt Olson, and Dansby Swanson who are all playing very well this season.
Riley is turning into an MVP candidate and the team is really benefiting from it.
Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread
Rich Hill … aka Dick Mountain will toe the slab for the Sox tonight. Hill is one of those starters where you have no idea what you are going to get. Hill has thrown gems this season but has also given up a ton of runs this year. He allowed four against the Astros in his last outing but allowed just one run to the Cleveland Guardians back on June 26 before going on a month break due to an injury. If Hill can pitch well tonight and give the Red Sox a quality start, then that will give them a good chance to cover. This is only his second start back since the injury and he went only three innings on August 3.
The Red Sox are coming off of a series loss to the Kansas City Royals. Adding Eric Hosmer to the lineup from the San Diego Padres hasn't really helped them at all. He's batting .200 in 10 ABs with just one RBI. It was nice to see Hosmer back in Kansas City for the first time since signing with SD. Remember, Hos won the 2015 World Series MVP when they took down the Mets.
The lineup also added former Padre and Cincinnati Red Tommy Pham as the team is in need of a spark. They contain some of the best offensive hitters in the game but it's not enough if their pitching is costing them a ton of games.
Final Braves-Red Sox Prediction & Pick
Take the Braves to win this game on the road as they are the better team.
Final Braves-Red Sox Prediction & Pick: Braves -1.5 (+100)
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