Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves Game 2 Betting Preview
In the best of five – the Philadelphia Phillies are on the road at the Atlanta Braves on Monday. This is Game 2 of the series.
Philadelphia won the first game of the series 3-0 on the road at the Braves. The Phillies went 90-72 during the regular season, while Atlanta won 104 games.
The Atlanta Braves are -150 in this game at home over Philadelphia. The total is set at 8.5 runs.
Starting Pitching Matchup
Zack Wheeler will get the start for the Philadelphia Phillies. Wheeler won his first postseason start this season over the Marlins. He went 6.2 innings in that game and allowed five hits and a run.
During the regular season, Wheeler went 13-6 with a 3.61 earned run average. He made 31 starts on the season, for 192 innings, and struck out 212 batters.
For the Atlanta Braves, Max Fried will get the start. Fried has been banged up lately and has not thrown since September 21st. His finger issue held him to 13 starts this season. He went 8-1 with a 2.55 earned run average. Fried struck out 35 batters over his last five starts, which spanned 30 innings.
Phillies Getting Key Offense
The Philadelphia Phillies are getting key offense when they need it and also great pitching.
The win on Saturday saw a Bryce Harper home run, and Ranger Suarez and a cast of characters out of the bullpen to shut down the best hitting team in baseball. The Phillies also got great offense when needed in the series that eliminated the Marlins. Bryson Stott hit a grand slam in that game.
Philadelphia, during the regular season, scored 4.9 runs per game and picked up just shy of 9 hits per game. Trea Turner went through a tough stretch of offense but has now got a hit in seven straight games for the Phillies.
Bryce Harper, despite missing a good chunk of the regular season, still finished with 21 home runs and 72 runs batted in. Harper also scored 84 runs for Philadelphia.
Atlanta Needing to Snap Out
The Atlanta Braves know that now is the time they need to snap out of it and find offense. Without offense, they are going to be in trouble against a tough lineup of the Phillies.
The Braves were the top-scoring team in all of Major League Baseball, with 5.8 runs per game. Atlanta smacked 307 home runs, which was far and away the most in all of the league.
Matt Olson led the offense in home runs that saw five guys hit 30 or more this season. Olson, Ronald Acuna Jr, and Ozzie Albies all drove in 100+ runs as well, with Austin Riley settling in with 97 and Marcell Ozuna 96. Atlanta, on the other side, allowed just 187 home runs to opponents and allowed just 4.4 runs per game.
Road Underdog Wins Again
Something is going on with the Philadelphia Phillies, and it is a good thing. This team is playing great baseball right now and getting great pitching and some excellent, timely hitting. The Phillies lineup is ready to rock, and with Fried missing time, look for him to be a little rusty. The Phillies get on the board early and do not look bad.
The Philadelphia Phillies, at +130, are going to win this game on the road. The win for the Phillies will put them up 2-0 in the series, with a chance to eliminate the best team during the regular season on Wednesday.
Bet the Philadelphia Phillies +130 over the Atlanta Braves on Monday.
