Few teams have had as good of a second half start as the Texas Rangers. They’re 5-1 through six games, earning series wins against the Tigers and Athletics.
They’re still seven games back from the AL West lead, but it’s progress after a sub-.500 first half. Meanwhile, the Braves are continuing to plummet in the standings. They won two of their six games, dropping series to the Yankees and Giants since the break.
Texas enters tonight’s series opener as -151 favorites, and Atlanta is +124 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at over/under eight runs.
Here’s my prediction and pick for Friday’s Braves vs. Rangers matchup.
Braves vs. Rangers prediction
The Rangers just swept the Athletics, which shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise, but it’s a nice achievement still. The Athletics are one of the worst teams in the majors, but a sweep is a sweep.
Texas will attempt to carry this momentum, that includes a series win against the Tigers, into the series against the Braves. Atlanta is struggling, sitting in fourth place in the NL East at 44-57. It’s just 3.5 games ahead of the last place Nationals.
The second half hasn’t been any better either as the Braves are 2-4 and enter this series on a two-game losing streak. They’re starting Joey Wentz, who is playing for his third MLB team this season.
Wentz has 27 appearances this year but just one start, which came in his last game against the Yankees. He had a four-inning shutout versus New York, but he still holds a 5.71 ERA this year.
On the other side of the pitching matchup is Nathan Eovaldi, who is coming back from a minor injury. He last pitched on July 13 and has been excellent this season, holding a 1.58 ERA through 91 innings.
Eovaldi will have the comfort of pitching at home against a struggling Braves squad. If Texas can give him some run support, it will make this matchup even easier.
Braves vs. Rangers pick, best bet
While the Rangers are playing well, a handful of their recent games have been low-scoring. They’ve been able to keep their opponents at bay while only tacking on a couple runs.
It’s a credit to Texas’ pitching staff, which should show out again tonight. Eovaldi had dealt with a minor injury that forced him to miss a start, but he should be his regular self against the Braves.
The biggest concern is whether the Rangers can get to Wentz. It’s likely they do, but how much? I don’t think it’ll get out of hand, which is why I’m betting the under for the game.