Braves vs. Giants, 9:45 ET
Braves vs. Giants, 9:45 ET
It was a good day yesterday as I was able to split my two plays. Kyle Freeland put in another respectable outing for the Rockies yesterday, holding the Braves to three runs in five innings (he only pitched 3.2). It was certainly sweaty enough, but I was happy we were able to come away with a win. Honestly, I’m at my best when I find opportunities like this. Those little pockets where you can get a good angle on a pitcher and predict a small part of the game. I actually had the Rockies moneyline in a parlay bet yesterday and thought that was dead, but they came back and won. I still lost the parlay bet, but it was surprising that Colorado came away with a win. We’ll stick with another Braves game here as they face the Giants.
If you wanted to describe the Braves with a Tom Petty song, it really wouldn’t be much of a stretch. Free fall is the only way to describe Atlanta lately. They’re constantly swinging back and forth between the last Wild Card spot and being out of the playoffs. They were 53-42 at the start of the All-Star break. Since then, they’ve gone 8-14. They split a series against the Marlins, then got swept by the Brewers (all at home), and then just lost a series to the Rockies. The good news for the team is that they scored 23 runs in the three games against Colorado. However, those games were all at Coors Field, which can boost offensive numbers. Tonight, they look to battle for the last Wild Card spot against a Giants team that’s only 1.5 games behind the Braves. This is a great way to start the series, since they have Chris Sale starting. Sale has been Cy Young worthy all year. He has the most wins in the league with 13, the fourth-best ERA of 2.75, the sixth-most strikeouts and the seventh-best WHIP of 1.00. Sale has only allowed more than two earned runs in two games this year. He has been equally good away and at home. He has also been better at night than during the day. Sale has already faced San Francisco once this season, allowing one run on three hits in six innings and striking out nine hitters. Overall, the Giants have done pretty well against him, with a .268 batting average and nine of their 11 hits going for extra bases.
May 20, 2024; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale (51) throws in the first inning at Truist Park against the San Diego Padres. Mandatory Photo Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
If we describe the Braves with a song, we describe the Giants with a quote or a phrase from a movie. “They hang out, hang out. That boy’s got alligator blood. I can’t get rid of him.” That description could probably be used for San Francisco for several seasons now. It seems like no matter what happens to this club or what kind of roster they field, they at least have a chance at making the playoffs. The Giants have a record above .500 and play solid baseball. They have been very good at home this season, outscoring 11 games on their home field. Since the All-Star break, they have won 14 games and lost only nine. They have not lost more than two games in a row since July 24 and already have two four-game winning streaks. Tonight, they sent Blake Snell to the mound. He finally looks like last season’s Cy Young winner. In his last six starts, he has one no-hitter and a total of three games in which he has allowed one hit or less and no earned runs. With five consecutive quality starts, it’s fair to say he’s definitely hitting form now when the Giants need him most. His ERA is a bit ugly at 4.31, but a WHIP of 1.10 is solid. Braves hitters have fared well against him in the past, striking out 18 of 61 against him over the course of their careers.
The hitters are in for a very long night tonight. There are certainly some players worth betting on or playing in daily fantasy, but this is not going to be an easy game for lineups. Sale is one of the best pitchers in the league this season and Snell shows why the Giants wanted to keep him until the trade deadline. I think this is a game to bet on the Giants. They play better baseball, play well at home, and the Braves are really struggling. Bet on the Giants to win.
