In the second game of a three-game series between the two teams with the best records in all of Major League Baseball; the Atlanta Braves are at the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
The Braves won the first game of the series with a 2-1 victory on the road. Atlanta is now 59-28 on the season, way ahead of the rest of the division in the National League East. The loss for Tampa Bay was their sixth straight. The Rays are now 57-34 on the season, but still have a lead in the American League East.
This should be a great game on Saturday. Atlanta is the favorite, despite being on the road. You can find the Atlanta Braves at -140 over Tampa Bay, with the total sitting at 8.5 runs.
Pitchers for Both Teams
The pitching matchup for this affair will feature Spencer Strider for the Atlanta Braves against Taj Bradley for Tampa Bay. Strider is one of the National League Cy Young contenders this season.
The 24-year-old is 10-2 on the season, with a 3.66 earned run average. Strider has 155 strikeouts in just 98.1 innings. In his last start, Strider struck out nine batters over 6.2 innings in a win over the Marlins.
For the Tampa Bay Rays, 22-year-old Taj Bradley will make his 13th start of the season and of his career. Bradley threw back on July 2nd against Seattle and was roughed up for nine hits and five runs over 3.1 innings. In fact, over his last two starts, Bradley has given up 17 hits and 12 earned runs in just 7.1 innings.
Braves with a Punch in the Lineup
The Atlanta Braves are packing a punch in the middle of that lineup. Ronald Acuna Jr and Matt Olson are both having sensational seasons for the Braves. Acuna, despite going 0-4 in the win on Friday, is the top hitter in the lineup, at just over .330. Olson leads the team with 29 home runs and 70 runs batted in on the season.
The Braves picked up two hits in the win on Friday, as Olson got on base, and Sean Murphy hit his 11th home run of the season in the 4th winning. The pitching did the job from there. Speaking of that, Atlanta is third in all of baseball, with a 3.63 earned run average.
Rays Looking for Answers
The Tampa Bay Rays are looking for answers. The Rays picked up six hits in the loss on Friday, but overall, they are in a big-time slump. Yandy Diaz had three hits in the game and leads the team with a .310 batting average.
Despite the struggles, the Rays are still third in all of baseball with 5.5 runs per game, but during the losing streak, the Rays are scoring less than three runs per game.
Braves Stay Hot; Tampa Does Not
The Atlanta Braves are tough to beat right now, and this game is going to be no different. Spencer Strider is the guy the Braves want on the mound, and Tampa Bay has gone cold with the bats.
Look for the Braves to win the second game of the season and have a chance to sweep as they play Sunday. Bet Atlanta -140 over Tampa Bay on Saturday.
