On Wednesday night, the Atlanta Braves clash against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third of a four-game set inside Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. They toss out the first pitch at 9:40 pm.
The Braves have been a hit-or-miss team over the last several seasons. They have also been hit hard by the injury bug, which has derailed some seasons. They are a veteran team that is battle-tested, and they have overcome a ton of obstacles, but they might not have enough horses to get them to the finish line this season.
This season, their offense has been very effective and, then again, very inconsistent. They are led on offense by big-time slugging DH Marcell Ozuna, who has had a great season thus far. He has cracked 23 home runs during the first half of the season and should be able to surpass his career-high of 40, which he hit last season. He is also batting .292 on the season.
The Braves will toss out veteran hurler Charlie Morton, who has a mark of 5-5 and an ERA of 3.96 on the season. He is 2-2 over his last four starts, and the Braves will look to his veteran arm to pick up a win.
The Diamondbacks have yet to have the type of magic they had last season when they made an excellent and very surprising run into the playoffs. They put the rest of the league on notice, especially coming out of a stacked NL West division, which boasts the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Arizona has not had great hitting this season like last season, and their starting pitching has been up and down-to say the least. On offense, they are paced by first baseman Christian Walker, who has clubbed 22 home runs and driven in 65 runs while batting .265 on the season. He is a vital piece to the offense and sets the tone for the rest of his teammates.
The Diamondbacks will toss out Slade Cecconi, who has a record of 2-6 and a bloated ERA of 6.10 during the season. He has not won since June 18th and needs a better outing than his last several starts. If he can give his team at least six plus scoreless innings, the offense should be able to do the rest.
The Diamondbacks are 3-2 in their last five games and 4-1 in their previous five games against the spread. They are also 23-24 in their road games against the spread. The totals have gone over in four out of their last five games and 24 out of their last 44 games at home.
The Braves are 3-2 in their last five games and 2-3 in their previous five games against the spread. They are also 19-24 in their road games against the number. The totals have gone over in just one out of their last five games and 15 out of their last 46 games at home.
