The All-Star break is almost here, which means teams have just a handful of games remaining to make an impact on their first half standings. The Braves and Athletics begin their second to last series of the first half Tuesday night.
Atlanta has underwhelmed, landing 11 games under .500 and 13 games back from the NL East lead. Injuries have played a role with Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach both on the 60-day IL. Ronald Acuna missed the early portion of the season, but his electric return hasn’t been enough to lift the Braves up.
Meanwhile, the Athletics have been on a nosedive since starting 22-20. The team is back to the basement of the AL West with a 37-55 record. One of their better pitchers, Jeffrey Springs, will start tonight.
That said, it’s not enough to give the Athletics the favorite title. The Braves are -118 favorites on the moneyline, while the Athletics are -103 underdogs on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at over/under 11 runs.
Here’s my prediction and pick for Tuesday’s Braves vs. Athletics matchup.
Braves vs. Athletics prediction
The Braves and Athletics have six games remaining before the All-Star break. Atlanta begins a six-game road trip with Tuesday night’s contest vs. the Athletics. It’s the first time these teams are meeting this season.
This is a rough patch for the Braves, who have lost four straight and nine of their last 11. Tonight could be a challenge with Didier Fuentes on the mound. The rookie has started three games this year and owns a 9.00 ERA.
His last outing was short but solid against the Angels. He allowed two earned runs over 3.2 innings while striking out six. After allowing six and four earned runs in his previous starts, this was an improvement.
Fuentes will face off against Springs, who has a 4.07 ERA in his first season with the Athletics. Although not a great ERA, he’s been good in his past four games. Springs has allowed two or fewer earned runs in the past four games.
Braves vs. Athletics pick, best bet
The over/under is set at 11 runs which seems to be a bit high considering both teams don’t have the best offenses. The Athletics rank 19th in runs per game, while the Braves are 24th.
The starting pitching matchup is likely why the run total is so steep. Fuentes is not a reliable arm, and Springs can be shaky despite his recent performances.
Nonetheless, a total of 11 runs is too high for my liking. Atlanta has hit the over in just four games since the start of June. The Athletics have nine instances of the over in this span, but many have come in early June.