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The New York Yankees take on the Atlanta Braves in the first game of a three-game series on Monday, August 14. First pitch is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. ET from Truist Park. Clarke Schmidt (8-6, 4.23 ERA) will take the mound for the Yankees, while ace Max Fried (3-1, 2.50) will pitch for the Braves.
The Braves are -225 moneyline favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the Yankees coming in at +185. The total is set at 9.
Yankees-Braves picks: Monday, August 14
Injury report
Yankees
Day to day: INF DJ LeMahieu (calf)
Out: SP Carlos Rodon (hamstring), 1B Anthony Rizzo (post-concussion symptoms), 3B Josh Donaldson (calf)
Braves
Out: SP Kyle Wright (shoulder), SP Kolby Allard (shoulder), RP Nick Anderson (shoulder), RP Jesse Chavez (shin), RP Dylan Lee (shoulder), OF Sam Hilliard (heel), RP Daysbel Hernandez (forearm), SS Ehire Adrianza (elbow)
Starting pitchers
Clarke Schmidt vs. Max Fried
Schmidt pitched 5.1 innings in his latest start, facing the White Sox on the road. He allowed one earned run and recorded seven strikeouts. Before that, he kicked off August with a five-inning performance at home against the Astros in which he allowed two earned runs and recorded four strikeouts.
Fried started off August with a great outing against the Cubs, keeping them runless over six innings and recording eight strikeouts. However, he struggled in his latest start, letting up four earned runs in four innings against the Pirates.
Over/Under pick
The Braves lead the league in runs per game, and while the Yankees rank 20th, they’ve had some better moments as of late. Fried and Schmidt are both usually very reliable, but Fried stumbled in his latest game and may not be in top form coming into this contest.
Pick: Over 9
Moneyline pick
The Braves took three of four in their latest series against the Mets, and the Yankees dropped their series against the Marlins in brutal fashion. This is a good pitching matchup, and should make for a great start to an exciting series, but I have to go with the Braves here as the home favorites. Their offense has been rolling like no other as of late, and while I think the Yankees will make it a game as they face Fried, Atlanta is too hot right now to turn down.
Pick: Braves -225