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ESPN will host Wednesday’s matchup between the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox, with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m. ET at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. Atlanta will start ace Spencer Strider (11-3, 3.78 ERA), while Boston counters with young righty Brayan Bello (7-6, 3.60 ERA).
The Braves still have the best record in all of baseball, although they’ve scuffled a bit (at least by their lofty standards) to start the second half. GM Alex Anthopoulos has been aggressive about addressing the bullpen still days before the trade deadline, and that’s really just about the only weakness this Death Star appears to have at the moment. Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Co. pace what is probably the deepest lineup in the entire league, and while the rotation is a bit sketchy right now — Spencer Strider and Charlie Morton haven’t been quite as great as expected of late, and there’s not much depth behind them — Max Fried should be back early next month.
With just days until the trade deadline, Boston has likely done enough to convince Chaim Bloom and Co. to be (at least cautious) buyers — the Red Sox have won three in a row after taking Tuesday’s series opener, now just one game back of the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Wild Card race. Bello, James Paxton and Nick Pivetta have carried an injury-depleted pitching staff, and reinforcements are in the way in the form of Chris Sale, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck. Combine that potential rotation with an underrated offense that features Rafael Devers, Masataka Yoshida, Triston Casas and Alex Verdugo, and don’t be surprised if Boston makes a deep run into October.
Atlanta enters as -145 favorites on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the Red Sox at +125. The run total is set at 10.5.
Braves vs. Red Sox
Pitchers: Spencer Strider vs. Brayan Bello
First pitch: 7:10 p.m. ET
Braves local broadcast: N/A
Red Sox local broadcast: N/A
Live stream: WatchESPN, ESPN app
Moneyline odds: Braves -145, Red Sox +125
If you aren’t around a TV to check out this MLB matchup, you can stream the game via WatchESPN or the ESPN app. But keep in mind that you need a cable-login subscription. If you don’t have a cable login to access ESPN for a live stream, you can get a free trial from YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, or Sling TV to stream the game.