The Atlanta Braves (32-23) will look to avoid getting swept by an Oakland Athletics (12-45) team that’s off to historically bad start in 2023. First pitch of the final game of this three-game set is scheduled for 3:37 p.m. ET from Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California. Rookie Jared Shuster (1-2, 5.33 ERA) will get the ball for Atlanta, while the A’s counter with struggling righty James Kaprielian (0-5, 8.45).
The Braves are -230 moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, making Oakland the +195 underdog with the over/under set at nine.
Braves-Athletics picks: Wednesday, May 31
Injury report
Braves
Out: RP Michael Tonkin (neck), RP Dylan Lee (shoulder), SP Max Fried (forearm), 3B Ehire Adrianza (elbow), SP Kyle Wright (shoulder), SP Kolby Allard (oblique), RP Tyler Matzek (elbow), SP Huascar Ynoa (elbow)
Athletics
Out: RP Zach Jackson (forearm), SP Drew Rucinski (illness), SP Mason Miller (forearm), RP Dany Jiminez (shoulder), SP Freddy Tarnok (shoulder), RP Kirby Snead (shoulder), C Manny Pina (wrist)
Starting pitchers
Jared Shuster vs. James Kaprielian
Shuster will make the sixth start of his rookie season and has been fairly inconsistent so far, as most year-one pitchers are. He’s allowed three or four earned runs in four of his five outings — including his last time out, when he allowed three runs on three hits and three walks over 5.2 innings in a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
As those top-line numbers suggest, Kaprielian has had a rough go of things in 2023 as he gets ready for his 10th appearance and seventh start of the year. In his last outing, Kaprielian gave up five runs (four earned) on eight hits and two walks over five innings in a loss to the Houston Astros.
Over/Under pick
This is a matchup where both offenses should find some success, so let’s go with the over. Kaprielian’s season-long numbers are very bad, while Shuster allows plenty of baserunners and hasn’t been all that reliable early on in his career. It may feel dangerous considering how awful the A’s have been at the plate this season, with the fewest runs per game in baseball (3.5), but let’s go with the total to surpass this number.
Pick: Over 9
Moneyline pick
This feels like more of a toss-up than oddsmakers suggest considering the pitching matchup. Kaprielian is obviously far better than his ERA suggests through the first couple months of the season with much better results over his last few starts after a disastrous April. He will keep the A’s in this game, and the offense will do enough as they complete the sweep.
Pick: Athletics