After a full day of MLB baseball, Saturday evening brings a three-game slate with a couple of premier matchups to check out. One of those takes place at Truist Park as the Atlanta Braves host the Philadelphia Phillies for the second game of this NL East series at 7:15 p.m. EST.
Here’s a Braves vs. Phillies prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Saturday night’s late-slate action.
Braves vs. Phillies prediction, preview
Atlanta Braves
In comparison to the preseason expectations for the Braves, this has been a nightmare campaign. The good news is that they’re not that far back from the .500 mark at 37-44, so there’s some hope moving forward. Their third-place spot among the NL East remains the bad news at 10.5 games back of Philly’s lead with 10 games separating Atlanta from the second-place Mets.
If nothing else, tonight’s game presents an opportunity for the Braves to sink their rival in the standings and allow New York to take over the division lead. Atlanta has the star power to do so with Spencer Schwellenbach on the mound and Ronald Acuna Jr. anchoring the lineup, but the overall numbers this month don’t look great. Atlanta ranks 25th in AVG and 27th in OPS with the 24th-most runs scored in June. They’re 5-5 across their last 10 games, including a loss last night in the opening game of this series. The Braves were shut out in that one despite tallying nine hits in a 13-0 blowout loss.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies bounced back last night after getting swept by the Houston Astros in their previous series, getting back in the scoring column with 13 runs (a much-needed explosion since they scored just two runs in three games against Houston). Philadelphia sits 48-34 this season with a top-five record in the MLB as they make the push to truly contend in the playoffs again.
This offense doesn’t have the same issues with consistency the Braves struggle with, ranking inside the top 10 of many stat categories across the board. However, they’ve slipped to ninth in AVG, 16th in OPS and 19th in runs over the course of June and look to string together another win this evening after yesterday’s dominant showing. The Phillies have plenty of their own star power with Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos and more constant contributors in the lineup. 10 batters each logged a hit last night with 17 hits in total and four homers in that game, so the bats didn’t need much time to regain their elite form.
Braves vs. Phillies pick, best bet
The Braves are -181 favorites on the Moneyline at their own ballpark this evening while the Phillies hold +148 odds to win outright. The run total sits at 7.5 between these two teams, a bit low after yesterday’s high-scoring affair but a mostly-understandable line considering the pitching matchup.
As mentioned above, Spencer Schwellenbach starts for the Braves tonight as the young ace’s excellent season continues. The right-hander boasts a respectable 3.21 ERA and an impressive 0.99 WHIP to go along with 96 strikeouts across 103.2 innings. Those numbers improve to 3.10 and 0.91 with 50 punchouts over 49.1 innings in his last seven starts, so the 25-year-old is in good form at the moment.
Jesus Luzardo draws the start for the Phillies amidst a rough stretch. He’s got a 4.08 ERA and 1.37 WHIP on the year with a strong 104 strikeouts in 90.1 innings. Over his last seven games though, his numbers balloon to a 7.18 ERA and 1.65 WHIP, a result of a couple of blow-up games with 12 and eight runs allowed. He’s given up one, four, and zero in his last three starts since then, so he may be emerging from that brief slump.
Scwhellenbach’s presence on the bump feels like a massive part of why the game lines sit where they do, but even with a great pitcher lined up for Atlanta, I still feel very confident in Philadelphia’s ability to keep this competitive. The -156 odds on Phillies +1.5 aren’t awe-inspiring but the does feel like one of the better picks for this contest by virtue of how energized the bats must be after yesterday.
Best bet: PHI Phillies +1.5 (-156)
Click the odds on this bet to tail!
