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Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves Betting Preview

Two of the best teams in the National League will square off in a primetime matchup Sunday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers (44-26) take on the Atlanta Braves (42-31). The Braves will host this one at Truist Park, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:08 pm ET.

After dropping the first game Friday, the Braves bounced back to win Saturday’s game 5-3. Max Fried went 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out nine.

Offensively, Dansby Swanson and Marcell Ozuna both homered and combined for four runs batted in. Austin Riley and Michael Harris also added two hits in the win.

For the Dodgers, Michael White went four innings, allowing three runs. Brusdar Graterol picked up the loss, though, as he allowed two runs in the eighth inning.

The Dodgers did try to make things interesting late as they scored a combined three runs in the seventh and eighth, but ultimately they came up short. Will Smith hit his 11th home run of the season in the defeat.

Sunday night is almost a pick’em game. The Dodgers are slightly favorites at -110 to win while the Braves’ moneyline sits at -106. The runline features Atlanta +1.5 (-172), and the over/under for total runs is 8.5.

Dodgers Looking To Maintain Divisional Lead

At 44-26, the Los Angeles Dodgers have the second-best winning percentage in the National League, but they find themselves just a half-game up on the San Diego Padres in the NL West. Trying to maintain their divisional lead, they will look to improve on their solid road record, which stands at 24-14.

Taking the mound for the Dodgers in the finale is Tony Gonsolin. The 28-year-old righty has been outstanding this season, going 9-0 in 13 games with a 1.58 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and he has 64 strikeouts in 68.1 innings of work.

In his last three starts combined, Gonsolin has allowed just three earned runs in 17.1 innings. In that span, he has allowed just seven hits, walked four, and struck out 15.

While outfielder Mookie Betts is on the injured list, the Dodgers’ offense is still full of superstars. One of the biggest ones is no stranger to Atlanta as first baseman Freddie Freeman is playing in his old stomping grounds.

This season, in 274 at bats, Freeman is hitting .303/.387/.489 with eight home runs, 45 runs batted in, and 47 runs scored.

Trea Turner has also been excellent. The soon-to-be free agent shortstop is hitting .320/.369/.504 with ten home runs, 39 runs scored, and a team-leading 52 runs batted in.

Braves Trying To Stay Within Striking Distance

While the defending World Series champions have a solid record at 42-31, the Braves still find themselves five games behind the New York Mets for first in the NL East. Trying to stay in striking distance, Atlanta will try to win both the game and series on Sunday.

23-year-old Spencer Strider will be tasked with slowing down the Dodgers Sunday night. In 16 games this season, he is 3-2 with a 3.40 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and has 72 strikeouts in just 47.2 innings of work.

Strider was roughed up a bit in his last start. Against the Giants, he allowed six runs on six hits in 3.2 innings. His start prior to that, though, he allowed two earned runs in 5.2 innings while striking out 11.

Albeit in limited at bats, no Braves’ hitter has had much success against Tony Gonsolin. Ronald Acuna is the only one with a hit, while the rest of the team is hitless in 16 at bats.

Speaking of Acuna, he is currently hitting .281/.372/.455 with seven home runs, 18 runs batted in, 28 runs scored, and 13 stolen bases in just 167 at bats.

Arguably the best hitter for the Braves has been third baseman Austin Riley. In 278 at bats, he is hitting .255/.325/.511 with a team-leading 18 home runs. He has also added 42 runs batted in and 39 runs scored this season.

Take Atlanta On The Runline

Undoubtedly, the Dodgers are one of the strongest teams in baseball as they are still the favorites to win the World Series at +440. They have also gone 4-1 in their last five overall and 12-6 in their last 18 on the road.

With that being said, they have struggled a bit when playing at Truist Park. In fact, they are just 1-6 in their last seven games there.

Atlanta is faced with the dubious task of figuring out Tony Gonsolin, who has still yet to take a loss on the season. Still, if any offense can do it, the Braves might be the ones.

Spencer Strider will have to be better than his last time out, but if he can at least contain the Dodgers, the Braves should be in a good spot to pull out the win. At the very least, this game should remain close, making the runline awfully enticing.

Take Atlanta at +1.5 on the runline (-172).

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