Wednesday night features the second of a brief two-game series between the Boston Red Sox (21-16) and the Atlanta Braves (25-11). The Braves will host this one at Truist Park, with first pitch scheduled for 7:20 pm ET.
The Braves currently sit as the favorites in this one, playing at home. They are -155 to win, while the moneyline for the Red Sox sits at +143. The over/under for total runs is 10 (-110).
Red Sox Hope To Improve On The Road
Despite sitting 21-16 overall, the Boston Red Sox still sit fourth in a loaded AL East. If they hope to compete in the division this season, they have to improve on the road. While they are 13-7 at Fenway Park, they are just 8-9 on the road.
After losing the first game of the series, the Red Sox will look for the split Wednesday. Taking the ball for the Red Sox will be youngster Brayan Bello. In four games, he is 1-1 with a 5.71 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, and he has 19 strikeouts in 17.1 innings of work.
Offensively, the Red Sox have been one of the best teams in the majors this season. They rank third in scoring, averaging 5.78 runs per game (5.25 on the road). Leading the offense is Rafael Devers, who is hitting .246/.297/.542 with a team-leading 11 home runs and 34 runs batted in.
Masataka Yoshida is also having a strong year in his first season. He is hitting .313/.394/.522 with six home runs and 24 runs batted in.
Braves Hope Offense Keeps Rolling
Having scored at least five runs in five of their last seven games, the Braves’ offense has been cruising as of late. They will try to keep it rolling Wednesday as they look for a sweep of the Red Sox.
In Tuesday’s 8-2 win, first baseman Matt Olson and catcher Sean Murphy had huge nights. Olson homered and drove in two, while Sean Murphy went two for three with three runs batted in.
As a team, the Braves rank fifth in scoring, averaging 5.37 runs per game (4.71 at home). On the defensive side, they rank fourth in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of 3.77 runs per game (4.94 at home).
With the injuries to Max Fried and Kyle Wright, the Braves will be scrambling a bit at pitcher for this one. As of late Tuesday night, the Braves had still not announced their starter for the series finale.
Take Atlanta To Win At Home
Looking at the trends, the Red Sox are 8-2 in their last 10 games, but they are 1-4 in their last five versus Atlanta.
As for the Braves, they are 6-1 in their last seven games and 4-1 in their last five against AL East teams.
Even with the uncertainty surrounding the Braves’ starter, they are still a tough team to bet against. Add in Brayan Bello’s early struggles, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Atlanta’s offense can carry them to a victory, even if their pitching struggles.
Take Atlanta to win straight up at -155.
