It is early in the season, but it is never too early to start thinking about the playoffs. I know a lot of people don’t even like talking about who could make it until after the All-Star Break at the earliest, but that’s the whole point of these teams playing all these games. Tonight, we get a matchup of two teams who look, at the moment, poised to compete for the National League Pennant.
The Atlanta Braves have the best team in baseball, at least by current records. They enter tonight’s game with a 26-12 mark, and they seem to have cured whatever was hindering them after last year’s down season. Perhaps it is the health of the team, or maybe it is that the team is hitting .270 for the year with 213 runs scored. While that doesn’t seem realistic to keep happening all season, it is very impressive in about 25% of the season. Their pitching staff has been equally impressive with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP.
One of their best hurlers is on the mound tonight. Chris Sale takes the rock and will look to navigate this tough lineup. For the season, Sale is 6-1 with a 2.14 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. Those numbers are all top 10 in the Majors. However, there is little reason for concern. He has allowed 10 earned runs this season, and six of them came in his lone Los Angeles start. Granted, he was facing a different team (the Angels). He has posted a quality start and one or fewer earned runs in all of his other six starts. Dodgers hitters are 11-for-69 against Sale in his career.
Braves ace Chris Sale slams baseball against his head after walking the bases loaded in wild scene
We knew exactly who the Los Angeles Dodgers would be this season. They’ve won the past two World Series, and then they went out and got arguably the best free agent on the market in Kyle Tucker. They also shored up their bullpen with Edwin Díaz. The biggest issue for the team was always going to be keeping everyone healthy. Díaz is on the injured list, Blake Snell is injured, Mookie Betts is injured, Enrique Hernández is injured, and Tyler Glasnow is a bit banged up. That’s a lot of money on the injured list, but they still have a 23-14 record and a deep roster.
The Dodgers try to counter Sale’s start with probably their worst starter, Emmet Sheehan. The 26-year-old right-hander is 2-1 with a 5.23 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. This will be his seventh outing of the year, and the Dodgers have to hope that he can deliver a quality start. He has allowed four or more earned runs in three of his six starts. Sheehan should have some confidence, considering he has faced the Braves before and held them to three hits in 21 at-bats.
This should be a fun game. We have two great teams battling each other, and if that wasn’t enough reason to watch, I have a bet that I think wins. I’m taking the Braves in this game, through five innings at -115. Sure, Sale looked rough against the Angels on the road, but there is more to it than that. He has had a ton of success against the Dodgers. Give me the Braves on the moneyline through five. I think they win the full game, too.
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I’d also like to mention taking Kyle Tucker under 0.5 hits for the day. He has never gotten a hit off of Sale, going 0-for-9 with four strikeouts. He is +136 to not have a hit tonight.
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