Thursday’s MLB slate brings a very competitive doubleheader to the table as two NL East rivals clash. The Philadelphia Phillies look to protect their league-best record as they host the Atlanta Braves, a team working to reach the .500 mark and shake off their horrific early-season start.
Game 1 of this doubleheader starts at 1:05 p.m. EST with the second leg’s start time projected for 6:45 later that evening. Here’s a Phillies vs. Braves prediction and pick for the first of these Thursday doubleheader contests.
Phillies vs. Braves prediction, preview
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies hold sole possession of the MLB’s best record at 35-19 with a .648 win percentage. At 9-1 across their last 10 contests, they come into this division matchup on a hot streak with intentions of burying the a rival further down the NL East standings.
This team doesn’t quite put up massive scoring outbursts like the Yankees and Dodgers do. However, Philadelphia ranks inside the top-10 of most major offensive categories with a very well-rounded lineup. They’re fifth in AVG (.259) and OPS (.755), sixth in walks, seventh in strikeouts and stolen bases, eighth in runs, and 11th in home runs. Trea Turner paces the team with 65 hits and a .305 AVG, followed by Nick Castellanos and Alec Bohm each in the .270 range. Kyle Schwarber hits bombs as usual with 18 on the campaign and a .963 OPS as well. However, Bryce Harper’s status remains in question after taking a pitch to the elbow on Tuesday.
Atlanta Braves
The opposing Braves enter this series with the goal of clawing their way to the .500 mark. The team really struggled over the opening month of the season, and while they’re 4-6 across their last 10 games, they recently added superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. back to the lineup — a massive boost for a team in need of a jolt.
Atlanta’s lineup falls 14th in AVG (.246) and 16th in OPS (.705) this season, but they’re just 22nd in runs scored. The good news is they also fall middle-of-the-pack in both strikeouts and walks, so it’s not like their process at the plate looks too poor. Drake Baldwin has just 98 at-bats on the season but hits .337 in that sample, the highest average on the team. As for daily contributors, Marcell Ozuna leads the way with an .896 OPS while Austin Riley’s 59 hits pace all Braves batters, followed by Ozzie Albies’ 48. Matt Olson’s .234 AVG doesn’t look great, but his OPS sits at .797 with 12 home runs. Acuna is certainly the X-factor if healthy, especially if his hot start continues with five hits and two home runs in his first 16 ABs of the year.
Phillies vs. Braves pick, best bet
Phillies vs. Braves Game 1
In the early game, Cristopher Sanchez takes the mound for the Phillies. The lefty has seen 54.0 innings of work this season with a 3.17 ERA and 1.26 WHIP over that span accompanied by 65 strikeouts and 20 walks. His 10.83 K/9 is a career-high, so a strikeout prop could look good for Sanchez in this contest.
22-year-old right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver starts for Atlanta. He’s thrown 41.2 innings this season with a 3.67 ERA and 41 punchouts, though his 1.42 WHIP sits a little high than you’d like to see. Still, he’s a very capable pitcher, though the Phillies may give him some trouble.
In this contest, I like under 3.5 total runs for the Braves at -110 odds. The team hasn’t looked too formidable as of late, and I fully expect Sanchez to get the better of his opponents through the first few innings and tally plenty of strikeouts. Atlanta’s slash line against left-handed pitchers reads .215/.286/.352, so Sanchez maintains an advantage here and should hold the Braves in check for most of the outing.
Best bet: ATL Braves under 3.5 total runs (-110)
Slight lean: PHI Phillies ML (-142)
Click the odds of either bet to tail!
