A good National League series starts tonight from the desert as a pair of 2023 playoff teams, Atlanta and Arizona, square off with the Braves as heavy favorites on the MLB odds behind NL Cy Young contender Chris Sale.
Atlanta at Arizona: 2024 MLB Expert Analysis
| MLB Picks: Braves -185, Diamondbacks +165 (total 8) Score Prediction: Braves 5, Diamondbacks 4 |
Atlanta Braves Betting Picks -200
Braves beat Phillies with 6-0 win, Olson hits solo homer to break slump against rookie Mercado. Olson had a 14-game homerless streak, his second this season.
He was in a 10-for-65 slump with few extra-base hits and RBIs in the last 18 games. Last season had only one 14-game homerless streak. The braves won a home series against NL East-leading Philadelphia.
Adam Duvall
Duvall ended a 96 at-bat homerless streak by going 3-for-4 with a solo home run. It was his longest homerless streak in a season since 2018. Duvall also had his second three-hit game of the week, a feat he hadn’t accomplished since August of last season.
Despite these performances, the 35-year-old is still struggling with a .184 batting average for the season.
Jarred Kelenic
Kelenic’s impressive performance as the Braves’ lead-off hitter continued on Sunday with a three-run homer, a walk, and a stolen base, maintaining his .298 batting average, six homers, 14 RBI, and three stolen bases.
The Braves struggled in their Friday loss to the Phillies, making errors and giving up hits. However, they turned things around for the rest of the weekend, with strong pitching and hitting.
They outscored the Phillies and are now eight games behind them in the division. The Braves have won four out of six games against the Phillies this season.
Chris Sale on the Hill
Left-handed pitcher Chris Sale will be on the mound Monday, aiming to boost his chances of winning the Cy Young Award. Sale, along with two other players, has also been chosen to play in the All-Star Game next week.
In his last game against the Giants, Sale dominated with his slider, allowing only one run on three hits while striking out nine batters over six innings to secure the win.
Sale has been pitching well, only allowing one run in each of his last three starts. Despite this, he only managed two wins. He leads the National League with 11 wins and is tied for the major-league lead with Seth Lugo.
Sale has a 2.71 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 127:19 K:BB in 99.2 innings over 16 starts this season. He has a career record of 2-0 with a 2.53 ERA against Arizona.
On April 7, Sale faced the Diamondbacks and gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings, striking out six in a victory.
Despite only allowing four hits, consecutive singles in the fourth inning resulted in two runs. Sale’s wild throw to first was nullified by a base running error by Blaze Alexander, who ran on the grass.
The braves have the second-best ERA in MLB at 3.47. Atlanta’s 9.16 K/9 leads the NL and trails only the Twins (9.26).
^Arizona Diamondbacks Betting Picks +160
Arizona has reached a .500 record of 44-44 by winning four of their last five games. Eugenio Suárez played a key role in their recent 9-1 victory over San Diego, hitting a two-run homer and a bases-clearing double.
Suárez tied his career high for RBIs and had three hits in the game. Despite a slow start this season, he has been a valuable addition to the team since being acquired from Seattle in November.
Corbin Carroll
Carroll hit a solo home run in Sunday’s game, his first since May. He now has three home runs this season, a significant drop from last year.
The 23-year-old’s batting average is .210 with 24 extra-base hits and 24 RBI in 379 plate appearances. Carroll’s performance shows a decrease in power compared to the previous season.
New York YankeesMarte was pulled from one game due to back tightness and missed the next two, so keep an eye on his condition. Despite this, he was selected for the All-Star Game after hitting .284/.353/.506 with 17 homers and 51 RBIs.
In his last 11 games, Marte has a .333 on-base percentage, with 2 homers, 3 doubles, and 9 RBIs.
Yilber Diaz on the Hill
Diaz, the No. 16 prospect in the D-backs’ system, will make his MLB debut against the Braves on Monday, filling in for injured Jordan Montgomery in the rotation.
Diaz started in Double-A Amarillo with a 4.33 ERA in 11 starts, striking out 77 batters in 54 innings. Promoted to Reno on June 11, he now has a 3.27 ERA in four Triple-A starts, with 28 strikeouts in 22 innings.
Diaz’s dominant performance in Triple-A Reno convinced Arizona manager Torey Lovullo to give him a chance to start. Evaluators initially saw him as a reliever due to control issues, but improved control now makes him a viable starter.
^Betting Braves at Diamondbacks MLB Odds
When: Monday, 9:40 PM ET
Where: Chase Field
Pitchers (away/home): Chris Sale/Yilber Diaz
TV: MLB Extra Innings
Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
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