Two teams heading toward the playoffs face as the Philadelphia Phillies visit the Atlanta Braves. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Phillies-Braves prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Phillies took game one of the series in Atlanta yesterday. The Braves did take an early lead in the game though. Ozzie Albies hit a home run in the bottom of the first to give the Braves a 1-0 lead, but in the top of the second, the Phillies struck back. Johan Rojas hit a two-run home run to give the Phillies the lead, a lead they would not give up. JT Realmuto would add a home run in the fourth, while Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber would add home runs in the sixth to give the Phillies a 7-1 victory.

With the loss, the Braves dropped to 96-54, still the loss does not matter. They have already clinched the NL East crown. Meanwhile, the Phillies are now 82-68 on the year. That places them second i the division and with the top Wild Card spot in the National League. They have a 3.5 game for that spot currently. The Phillies also have the magic number of eight to clinch a playoff birth.

Here are the Phillies-Braves MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Phillies-Braves Odds

Philadelphia Phillies: +1.5 (-114)

Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (-105)

Over: 9 (-105)

Under: 9 (-115)

How To Watch Phillies vs. Braves

TV: NBCSP/BSSO

Stream: MLB.TV

Time: 7:20 PM ET/ 4:20 PM PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread

The Phillies have been scoring well in the last few games. In the last four games, they have scored 23 runs, winning three of four games. On the year, the Phillies are ninth in the majors in runs scored, while sitting fifth in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging. Nick Castellanos is continuing his great season in the last week. While hitting .364 he has three home runs. That has led to seven RBIs. Further, he has stolen two bases and scored six times in the last week.

Kyle Schwarber also continues to produce. In the last week, he has two home runs and a double. This has helped him drive in five runs, while also scoring three times. He is hitting just .125 with a .250 on-base percentage, but that is not far from normal for Schwarber. Bryce Harber is also being productive. In the last week, he is hitting just .211 but is getting on base at a .400 rate. He has two home runs and a double, helping him to three RBIs. Meanwhile, he has scored four times in the last week.

The Phillies have been hitting well in the last week. They are hitting .255 with a .325 on-base percentage. The Phillies have also hit 12 home runs while stealing nine bases. That has helped them score 30 times, but they are leaving runs on the table. The  30 runs in on an expected 32.2 runs.

The Phillies sent Christopher Sanchez to the mound today. He is 2-4 on the year with a 3.40 ERA. Last time out he faced the Braves, giving up four runs in 7.1 innings of work and taking the loss. Still, he has had some solid starts recently. Against the Marlins on September 8th he went five innings, giving up just four hits and no runs.

Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread

The Braves have the most offensive firepower in all of baseball. They are first in the majors in runs scored, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging this year. Ronald Acuna Jr. has been continuing his impressive season. In the last week, he is hitting .412 with a .421 on-base percentage. He has a home run and a double, with three RBIs. He has also stolen a base and scored four times. Meanwhile, Austin Riley is hot. He is hitting .318 in the last week with a .407 on-base percentage. He has two home runs and five RBIs in the last week. Riley has also scored four times.

Joining them in driving in runs is Ozzie Albies. Albies has hit two home runs and three doubles in the last week, which has helped him drive in five runs. He is hitting .286 in the last week with a .310 on-base percentage and scored three times as well. Overall, the Braves are hitting .248 as a team with a .299 on-base percentage. They have hit 11 home runs and 15 doubles in the last week, making nearly half of their hits for extra bases. Still, like the Phillies, they are leaving runs on the table. They have an expected run total in the last week of 31.4 but have scored just 25 runs.

The Braves will be sending Spencer Strider to the mound today. He is 17-5 this year with a 3.73 ERA. He leads the majors in both wins and strikeouts on the season while sitting tenth in WHIP. Last time out he went seven innings giving up just one run and striking out nine batters. Still, that is coming off back-to-back rough starts for him. In the prior two starts, he gave up ten runs in just 8.2 innings of work. The Braves are solid with him on the mound. The Braves are 22-6 this year when Strider starts the game. That includes going 6-2 in his last eight starts.

Final Phillies-Braves Prediction & Pick

Any time Spencer Strider is on the mound, he is going to give the Braves the pitching edge. While he has been solid this year, in three of his last eight starts he has given up four or more runs. The Phillies are the type of team that can put up those runs. While the Braves struggled to score last night, that is not normal for them. They have scored one or fewer runs since the All-Star break just four times. In the games that followed they have scored a combined 26 runs. With how much power the Braves have in their lineup, combined with a Phillies pitcher that can give up runs, plus Strider on the mound, this has all the makings of a big Braves win. If the Braves do not win, expect plenty of runs still, so the over is a solid play.

Final Phillies-Braves Prediction & Pick: Braves 1.5 (-105) and Over 9 (-105)