Heading into the season, much of the speculation was on who might be the teams to compete for the World Series crown. There were also a number of teams who were never part of the equation, simply because it was known that they were going to struggle. While some teams have definitely lived down to those awful expectations, there are a few who have done better than expected. The Miami Marlins are one team that have been a pleasant surprise, and as we approach the end of the first half, they are still alive and well in the AL East. The same cannot be said for their division foes, the Atlanta Braves. It was no secret that this team was going to be bad, as they have spent the last couple of year trading away anything of value for your prospects. The result is one of the best farm systems in the league, but it is probably still going to be a year or two before this team starts to see some online betting action. Miami and Atlanta will finish up their weekend series with a Sunday night tilt in Atlanta.

Miami Marlins Vs Atlanta Braves MLB Free Picks

When: Sunday, July 3 at 8 PM EST Where: Turner Field, Atlanta Starting Pitchers: Adam Conley Vs Matt Wisler TV: ESPN MLB Odds: TBA

Why bet on the Miami Marlins

The Miami Marlins (41-38) are certainly a very nice story, but there really is some doubt as to whether they can stick around in this division battle. Going 14-13 in June is good, but it really isn’t good enough to make a major move on the Washington Nationals, who are currently 6.5 games up on the Marlins. When you look at the offensive and defensive stats of this team, you see numbers that are very much middle of the pack, which is exactly where they will likely end up. That’s not a bad thing, though, as there is a definite improvement being made that this team can build on moving forward. Adam Conley (4-5, 3.90 ERA) will get the ball on Sunday night.

Why bet on the Atlanta Braves

If you pay attention to what’s going on with the Atlanta Braves (27-52), you will see that all of the focus is on what is to come with this team. They have stockpiled a ton of young talent over the past couple of seasons, to the point where they are tops in the MLB in terms of prospects. Given how these kids are playing down on the farm at the moment, there is the distinct possibility that Atlanta could have a story similar to that of the Chicago Cubs in a couple of years. Patience is key for Atlanta fans, but for now, they are going to have to keep swallowing some losses. Matt Wisler (3-7, 4.14 ERA) will start for the Braves.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

The Braves have actually been playing some decent ball of late, and they delivered an 8-5 comeback win in the opening game of this series. That said, I think that Miami are in a better position to win this one, although I expect it will be close.