Houston Astros at Atlanta Braves Betting Preview
In a rematch of last season’s World Series, the Houston Astros (77-43) will take on the Atlanta Braves (73-47) Saturday in the second of a three-game series. The Braves will host this one at Truist Park, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:15 pm ET.
Atlanta was able to take the opener Friday 6-2. In the victory, Kyle Wright allowed just two runs over six innings. He gave up six hits while striking out seven.
Offensively, Austin Riley went two for four with a home run and three runs batted in. In total, the top three hitters in the lineup combined for seven hits, five runs batted in, and five runs scored.
For Houston, Lance McCullers Jr took the loss after giving up three runs on five hits. Phil Maton also gave up three runs in an inning of relief.
Kyle Tucker hit his 22nd home run of the season in the defeat. Both Tucker and Jose Altuve had two hits apiece for the Astros.
The Braves are the favorites playing at home Saturday. They are -144 to win while the Astros’ moneyline sits at +122. The runline features Houston +1.5 (-176), and the over/under for total runs is 7.5.
Houston Battling Injuries
Despite having a double-digit lead in the AL West, the Astros all of a sudden seem vulnerable thanks to injuries. Not only was Michael Brantley recently put on the shelf for the season after having shoulder surgery, but the Astros suffered a couple of injuries in Friday’s opener.
Both Yordan Alvarez and Mauricio Dubon left the game for Houston. Alvarez felt ill and was eventually transported to a hospital for further tests. Dubon left the game with a shoulder injury after crashing into the outfield wall. All of the sudden shorthanded, Houston will look to their pitching and offensive veterans like Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Yuli Gurriel, and Kyle Tucker to carry the load.
On the mound Saturday for Houston will be 25-year-old righty Cristian Javier. In 22 games this season, he is 7-8 with a 2.96 ERA and 1.03 WHIP, and he has 138 strikeouts in 106.1 innings.
In his last three starts combined, Javier has given up just three earned runs in 18 innings of work. In that span, he has allowed 11 hits while striking out 17.
Offensively, Alex Bregman has caught fire after a slow start to the season. In his last 28 games, he is hitting .340/.398/.660 with a team-leading seven home runs, 26 runs batted in, and 24 runs scored.
Braves Showing They Are Still A Force To Be Reckoned With
There is a reason that the defending World Series champs are still in the top five in terms of the best odds to win this year’s championship. Despite sitting in second in the NL East, the Braves have the fourth-best record in all of baseball.
Having won nine of their last 10, the Braves have been especially hot as of late, especially at home. At Truist Park, they are 41-23 this season.
Manager Brian Snitker will give the ball to 23-year-old righty Spencer Strider Saturday. In 25 games, he is 7-4 with a 3.04 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and has 142 strikeouts in 94.2 innings.
Strider picked up a win in his last start, allowing just one run in five innings to the New York Mets. He has picked up wins in two of his last three starts.
Keep an eye on Matt Olson in Saturday’s contest. Despite hitting just .154 in 13 at bats against Christian Javier, he has two home runs and four runs batted in against the righty.
Take Atlanta To Win At Home
For as good as the Astros have been this season, it is just really hard to bet against the Atlanta Braves recently. They have been one of the hottest teams in baseball and seem to be clicking both on offense and on the mound.
The trends also support Atlanta. Houston has lost four of their last five games against the Braves and have lost five of their last seven on the road overall.
Atlanta, on the other hand, has won eight of their last ten home games and have won 10 of their last 14 against Houston when playing as the home team.
Granted, Houston is certainly capable of breaking through, but the best bet at this point is to take Atlanta to win at home.
Take the Braves at -144 to win straight up.
