The two MVP favorites face off tonight as the Atlanta Braves and Ronald Acuña Jr. host the Los Angeles Angels and Shohei Ohtani at Truist Park.
The Angels made some HUGE moves yesterday, as they acquired first baseman C.J. Cron and outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Colorado Rockies.
After adding these two plus Lucas Giolito in the past week, it’s clear the Angels are trying to make a playoff run late in the season.
They sit five games back in the AL West, and are four games out of the second Wild Card spot. With the AL East fighting for two WC spots of their own, it’ll be a tall task.
The Braves are absolutely running away with the National League, and especially their division. Atlanta leads the NL East by 11.5 games, and are 8.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the #1 seed.
The Braves have won three straight, they’re 35-19 at home this year, and I really don’t see the Angels competing much tonight.
Angels vs Braves History
These two teams played three games last year in Los Angeles. The Braves took two out of three, outscoring the Angels 16-12 in that series.
Tonight begins a three game stand, and the only times these two teams will see each other in the regular season.
The Braves offense is ridiculously good. They are one of three teams with a +100 run differential. Atlanta leads the league at +151.
Can you name the other two teams?
In the mean time, let’s break down tonight’s showdown!
Angels vs Braves Game Information
Matchup Information
- Venue & Location: Truist Park (Atlanta, GA)
- Date: Monday, July 31st, 2023
- First Pitch: 7:20pm Eastern
- Broadcast: BSSO
Pitching Matchup
- Los Angeles Angels: Griffin Canning (6-4, 4.47 ERA)
- Atlanta Braves: Charlie Morton (10-8, 3.57 ERA)
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of Bovada.
Runline
- Angels +1.5 (-115)
- Braves -1.5 (-105)
Moneyline
- Angels +169
- Braves -208
Total
- Over 10 (+100)
- Under 10 (-120)
Angels vs Braves Prediction
Even with their newly acquired hitters, I think the Braves win tonight.
Morton has seen his struggles in recent starts, but this Angels team struggles against righties (for the most part).
Obviously the ML is even too juicy for me, but if the Braves RL ever gets to +110, I might have to dabble with them at home.
Have no fear, we have some player props.
Player Props
Mike Moustakas Hit (-150) Bovada
He came through the other night, and at -150, I’m willing to pay the juiceman for Moose off a righty.
Moustakas has a hit in 58% of games this season, but 64% of road games. His batting average goes up to .273 against RHP, and he has 7/9 doubles, and 8/9 home runs against such pitchers.
Against Morton in his career, Moose bats .250 with 3 hits and a walk. He has a single, a double, and a home run, plus 7 RBIs in 14 plate appearances.
He also has a hit in 9 straight games overall, and 8 straight away games.
Assuming he is in the lineup, I like Mosutakas to continue this streak tonight.
Matt Olson Over 1.5 Bases (+104) BetOnline
Plain and simple, we can’t help but bet this guy.
He bats .268 off RHP this year, and bats .250 off of Canning in his career.
Olson has 4 hits in 17 plate appearances, with a single, a double, and two home runs.
He had two home runs last night, he has 3 in his last 3 games, and he has five home runs in his last nine games.
All we need is a double, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Olson gets a hold of one tonight.
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