Two of the premier teams in the National League meet for the series finale as the New York Mets battle it out with the Atlanta Braves. Join us for our MLB odds series, where our Mets-Braves prediction and pick will be revealed.
After dropping the opening pair of games against the Braves, the Mets rebounded nicely by edging out their divisional counterparts by a score of 9-7. With only a 4.5-game lead out in the NL East, every win over Atlanta is important to take firm control of the division down the stretch. In the finale, Jacob deGrom is expected to get the start as he seems like his old self with a 2-0 record and a 1.62 ERA in his three starts.
For Atlanta, the opportunity is there for the taking to take three of four games from their rivals in what should be a heated and competitive race for the NL East the rest of the way. In fact, the Braves were in the midst of an eight-game winning streak before they were defeated by the Mets yesterday. Taking the mound for Atlanta will be their own ace in lefty Max Fried, who is a superb 10-4 with a 2.60 ERA.
Here are the Mets-Braves MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Mets-Braves Odds
New York Mets: -1.5 (+136)
Atlanta Braves: +1.5 (-164)
Over: 7 (-102)
Under: 7 (-118)
Why The Mets Could Cover The Spread
Similar to yesterday, the Mets have what it takes to cover the spread for the second time in as many nights. Conversely, there aren't many twirlers in all of baseball that are as shut down as Jacob deGrom when he is healthy. Now with the Mets' electric arm fully recovered from a stress fracture in his right arm, New York's chances of becoming the last team standing by the end of the year are that much greater.
Of course, the Mets' best chance to cover later this evening may fall upon deGrom's shoulders, as it was only days ago that the 34-year-old took a perfect game into the six innings against Atlanta back on Aug. 7th. When it was all but said and done, deGrom struck out a whopping 12 batters on his way to only surrendering two runs on one hit.
Additionally, the Mets possess a powerful attack at the plate that not many other teams in the majors can replicate. After seemingly having no answer for the Braves pitching staff the first two games of this series by mustering up only one run combined, New York exploded for 14 hits on nine runs in a game where the offense was long overdue. Not to mention, but the Mets last faced Max Fried when he was concussed after a hard fall onto the ground. While New York hasn't always had great success versus the southpaw, the Mets can maybe breathe a deep sigh of relief after they were able to put up a handful of runs in their win when they last faced off with Fried.
Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread
One of the more all-around dangerous teams in all of baseball, the Braves propose many problems for teams who suit up to play against them. With an overall balanced attack from the dish and the rubber, the Braves excel by keeping the opposition off-balanced and capitalizing on their foes' mistakes. Already equipped with a 39-23 record in front of their home fans at Truist Park, Atlanta is certainly a tough egg to crack.
The Braves' best chance to cover the spread on Thursday could come from a multitude of avenues. With all eyes expecting the Braves offense and Max Fried to show up this evening, fellow bettors should instead pay close attention to Atlanta's bullpen in the later stages of this one. While Atlanta manager Brian Snitker was ejected for the first time this season on Wednesday, he also deployed the use of five relievers in the 9-7 loss. Fortunately for the Braves, Snitker was strategic in the fact that he did not send out three of his best bullpen pieces, which may come back to benefit the Braves in what should be a low-scoring and close affair. With Jansen, Iglesias, and Minter all with fresh arms, the pressure on the Mets to get after Fried in this one should be at an all-time high.
In 19 career appearances and 14 starts, Max Fried is 5-5 with a 2.86 ERA against the Mets. Outside of his latest outing versus New York, Fried is a southpaw that most teams around the league struggle to hit against because he hides the ball so well within his delivery and also mixes up his pitches with excellency.
Final Mets-Braves Prediction & Pick
This matchup has the makings to be one of the more entertaining scheduled games on the Thursday baseball slate. Both sides are starved to win the NL East division, and with only one more series between these two squads in the rest of the regular season, each game from here on out has major playoff implications. In this series finale, the overpowering nature of Jacob deGrom will prove to be too much for the Braves, even at their home ballpark.
Final Mets-Braves Prediction & Pick: Mets -1.5 (+136)
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