Los Angeles Angels at Atlanta Braves Betting Preview
Saturday night will feature the second of a three-game interleague matchup as the Los Angeles Angels (39-54) take on the Atlanta Braves (57-38). The Braves will host this one at Truist Park, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:20 pm ET.
In Friday’s opener, the Braves were able to take the win 8-1. Charlie Morton was fantastic, going six scoreless innings, but it was Dylan Lee who picked up the win in relief.
Offensively, Atlanta hit three home runs, including Matt Olson’s 18th. Orlando Arcia also had a home run and three runs batted in.
Shohei Ohtani went six scoreless innings, but he gave up six runs in the sixth inning. In total, he allowed six runs on six hits while striking out 11.
Jonathan Villar hit his third home run of the season, but the team managed just five hits and left 14 on base.
The Braves are overwhelming favorites on Saturday. They are -205 to win while the Angels’ moneyline sits at +172. The runline features Los Angeles +1.5 (-115), and the over/under for total runs is 8.5.
Big Decisions For Angels Looming
At 39-54, the Los Angeles Angels sit in fourth in the AL West, 22 games behind the Houston Astros. With the postseason seeming like a long shot again, the Angeles will have decisions on what to do as the trade deadline approaches.
While it is highly unlikely that Ohtani or Mike Trout would be traded, players like Noah Syndergaard could be on the move by the August 2 deadline.
Still, the Angels will keep battling, and they will send Patrick Sandoval to the mound for Saturday’s game. In 15 games this season, he is 3-5 with a 3.00 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, and he has 87 strikeouts in 81 innings of work.
Despite being 0-2 in his last two starts, he has not pitched terribly. In 11 combined innings, he has allowed just three runs on 12 hits while striking out 13.
Offensively, Mike Trout is on the injured list, but Shohei Ohtani will try to lead the offense. In 336 at bats this season, Ohtani is hitting .256/.347/.482 with 19 home runs, 51 runs scored, and a team-leading 56 runs batted in.
Jonathan Villar is two for eight against the Braves’ Kyle Wright with three runs batted in, but no other Angel has a hit against the righty.
Braves Still Fighting In Division
For as hot as the New York Mets have been this season, the Atlanta Braves are still in striking distance. The defending World Series champions are 57-38, just 1.5 games out of first place in the division.
Trying to help them inch even closer on Saturday will be a 26-year-old righty, Kyle Wright. In 18 games, he is 11-4 with a 2.95 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, and he has 107 strikeouts in 110 innings.
Wright has picked up back-to-back wins coming into this one. In his last start, he went seven innings, allowing just two runs on seven hits in a win over the Nationals.
Offensively, Austin Riley continues to hit well for the Braves. He is currently hitting .287/.349/.577 with a team-leading 27 home runs. He also has 61 runs batted in and 56 runs scored.
Matt Olson (18 HR, 62 RBI), Marcell Ozuna (18 HR, 38 RBI), Dansby Swanson (15 HR, 53 RBI), and Ronald Acuna Jr. (8 HR, 38 R) have also had strong seasons this year.
Take Braves To Win And Cover
This is just not a good matchup for Los Angeles. Not only are they 1-9 in their last ten games, but they are 0-5 in their last five road games. Furthermore, they are just 1-7 in their last eight interleague games.
While Patrick Sandoval has the ability to dominate, he just has not had the same consistency as Kyle Wright, who has been one of the Braves’ best pitchers this season.
Offensively, Atlanta ranks fourth in the majors in scoring, averaging 4.74 runs per game. The Angels fall to 25th, averaging just 3.95 runs (3.60 on the road).
When it is all said and done, expect Atlanta to both win and cover the -1.5 runline (-104) in this one.
