Braves vs Phillies Series Odds: Four Games That Could Decide NL East
- The Braves six-year streak of winning the NL East could end this season.
- The Phillies are the favorite to win the NL East after reaching the NLCS in back-to-back years.
- If the Braves don’t win this, their odds to win the NL East will take a massive hit.
Over the last six years, the Atlanta Braves have dominated the National League East, winning the division every year. However, BetUS MLB odds favor the Philadelphia Phillies, who lead the division, with their line set at -1800.
Despite the Phillies’ massive lead in the NL East, which is why they are so heavily favored, there is still hope for the Braves to catch their division rivals. In this four-game series, the Braves will have a chance to inch closer to the Phillies. A series win might not change the odds too much, with the Braves set at +800 in our odds to win the NL East, but it would make the NL East division race much more exciting.
Braves vs Phillies Game Information
- Game: Atlanta Braves (2nd NL East) vs Philadelphia Phillies (1st NL East)
- Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
- Day/Time: Thursday, Aug. 29 (6:40 p.m. ET), Friday, Aug. 30 (6:40 p.m. ET), Saturday, Aug. 31 (7:15 p.m. ET), Sunday, Sept. 1 (7:00 p.m. ET)
- Braves vs Phillies Live Stream: MLB.tv
Braves vs Phillies Series Betting Preview
Game 1: Starters Months Ruined By One Start
The starting pitchers for this opening game seem evenly matched, especially considering what they have done recently. Over his five starts in August, Charlie Morton has a 4.56 ERA, but that does not tell the whole story. On August 8, he allowed eight runs in 2.2 innings, but in his other four appearances, Morton allowed two runs or less, pitching at least five innings.
Cristopher Sánchez finishes off his 2nd complete game of the season!
He needed just 99 pitches for this one. pic.twitter.com/80Ivnds6Yz
— MLB (@MLB) August 18, 2024
Similarly, Cristopher Sanchez’s ERA in his four starts in August is at 4.21. However, his ERA is mainly that high because of a start on August 11, when he allowed seven runs in 4.2 innings. Sanchez’s other three starts in the month are solid, including a complete game on August 17, allowing a single run.
Both pitchers should be able to have good starts in this matchup for MLB betting. Both of their bad starts this month seem like outliers. But betting on the Phillies, whose lineup has been more consistent than the Braves, still makes sense. That is mainly because of how many injuries the Braves lineup has suffered this season.
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Game 2: Dominate Pitchers Recovering Working Themselves Back
In the second game of this series, the starting pitchers’ storylines once again matchup. Both have been elite all season but did miss most of August. Injuries have plagued the Braves this season for MLB news, so it is good they have Reynaldo Lopez back on the mound. He has a 2.02 ERA on the season and has only made two starts in August. In each of those starts, Lopez allowed just one run, totaling 11 innings and 17 strikeouts, picking up right where he left off. His first time back on the mound was against the Phillies, and Lopez finished with 10 strikeouts in five innings.
Reynaldo Lopez’s 9th and 10th Ks. 😯 pic.twitter.com/jbFqtWeKR2
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 21, 2024
The Phillies will have Ranger Suarez get the start. Suarez started on August 24, but before that, he had not pitched since July 22, missing an entire month. This season, Suarez has a 2.82 ERA and did not miss a beat in his return. In Suarez’s return to the mound, he pitched five innings, allowing one run, and struck out six batters. With these two pitchers taking the mound, the best bet is to back the under.
Game 3: Two Aces Trending In Opposite Directions
At the start of the season, if you had to guess the top two starters of this rotation for MLB predictions, it would probably have been this matchup. Max Fried has been solid for the Braves but has struggled recently, while Zack Wheeler has dominated all season, especially in August.
On the season, Fried has a 3.50 ERA, which is good, but in August, that jumps to 5.26 over five starts. Most of his struggles came at the start of the month when he returned from an injury, allowing 13 runs, 12 earned, in 13.2 innings. Fried’s last two starts have been much better, with only three earned runs, five total, in 12 innings. That includes a start against the Phillies, in which Fried pitched seven innings, allowing only two runs.
.@Phillies pitchers were feeling it yesterday in their win over the Astros. Zack Wheeler set the tone with another good start (6IP 6H 2ER 2BB 6K) with his sinker winning our SP Pitch of the Day pic.twitter.com/7kmkHuOfpE
— Baseball Prospectus (@baseballpro) August 27, 2024
On the other hand, Wheeler has been dominating all season, with a 2.74 ERA. He has only stepped it up as the playoffs get closer, with a 1.97 ERA in August. Wheeler has only allowed eight runs, seven earned, in 32 innings over five starts this month, with 37 strikeouts. He also faced the Braves this month, in which he went six innings, allowing two runs.
Game 4: Fairly Even Pitching Matchup
This finale is going to feature a pretty even pitching matchup. Spencer Schwellenbach will take the mound for the Braves with a 3.72 ERA on the season, while Aaron Nola gets that start, sitting at 3.30.
Even in the months, the two starters are in lockstep. Schwellenbach has made four starts for 29.1 innings for 10 runs, with 42 strikeouts, leading to a 3.07 ERA. Nola has also made four starts, but for 30 innings, allowing 10 runs, nine earned, and only striking out 23 batters, for a 2.70 ERA.
This is a game that MLB lines can get behind the over, with the Phillies lineup putting up some runs. But Schwellenbach’s second to last start was against the Phillies, in which he allowed two runs in 6.2 innings. Nola’s second to last start also came against the Braves, allowing two runs in 5.1 innings, but did give up eight hits.
Braves vs Phillies Series Prediction: 2-2 Split
In many divisional four-game series, predicting a winner for MLB picks is hard, especially between these two teams, where the starting pitching matchups are pretty even. If one team were to win this series, it would be the Phillies, who are at home and leading the division.
Bet on the Braves vs Phillies Series Split at BetUS!
Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.
Questions Of The Day
Do the Braves have a chance of catching the Phillies?
The Phillies have become one of the top teams in baseball over the last two seasons. The Braves, when healthy, have the talent to catch up, but if they don’t win this series, they might have to settle for the Wild Card.
