The Boston Red Sox (19-17) will compete against the Atlanta Braves (21-12) in the finals of their two-game series on Wednesday, May 8 at 7:20 PM ET at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are favored with a moneyline at -200, but have an appealing run line at -1.5 (+110).
The Red Sox faced off against the Minnesota Twins last weekend. They fell short in the first two games 5-2 and 3-1 before coming out strong with a 9-2 victory on Sunday. This negative momentum likely held them back offensively.
Looking back at their latest matchup against the Braves, the Red Sox managed to score only in the sixth inning and eventually suffered in a 4-2 loss. Their starting pitcher, Kutter Crawford, pitched 6.0 innings and gave up two earned runs, five hits, and two walks.
For Game 2 of this series, the Red Sox will put Nick Pivetta (1-1) on the mound to start. He has established a remarkable 0.82 ERA and has accumulated 13 strikeouts among 11.0 innings. Looking back at his career as a whole, Pivetta has a career 4.81 ERA.
They have a .246 batting average and will need to improve if they want a shot. On the defensive end, they have held teams to a .222 batting average.
The Braves recently took on the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game series and it did not go according to plan. They were swept, which shows their preparations were not enough.
They came out much stronger in their victory on Tuesday against the Red Sox, as they were able to score twice in both the third and eighth innings. Reynaldo Lopez battled through a tough 5.1 innings as starter with six hits, four walks, and one earned run.
Chris Sale (4-1) will be in the starting pitcher role for the Braves in Game 2. He has put together impressive numbers so far, with a 3.44 ERA and 42 Ks in 36.2 innings over six starts. Sale has put up a career 3.11 ERA in 349 games, making him a tough threat.
Looking at batting averages, they are .256 at the plate. Defensively, they are allowing .238 which is a slight difference between the two.
MyBookie has the odds for Game 2 of this series, with the Atlanta Braves expected to make another strong performance. According to market analysis, the Braves have a 59.2 percent chance at success.
While the moneyline is a good offering, the run line is a good opportunity to make money. The Braves are arguably the better team and should have an appealing offense to make the case for winning by at least two runs again.
