It was not a good weekend for the Atlanta Braves. They were swept by the Blue Jays in Toronto and have now lost four straight to fall to 25-15.
Now, they have a three-game series against the 25-15 Texas Rangers who just took three of four from the A's.
This will be a big matchup of division leaders down in Texas and for Game 1 the Braves will send Charlie Morton to the mound to try and stop the skid. The Rangers will counter with Cody Bradford who is making his major league debut. Morton is 4-3 with a 3.32 ERA.
Let's get into the odds for this one as Atlanta desperately needs to get back into the win column after a brutal start to their interleague road trip.
Braves vs. Rangers odds, run line and total
Braves vs. Rangers prediction and pick
The Braves are one of the best offensive teams in baseball, but over this four-game losing streak they have only scored nine runs, with five of them coming in their 6-5 loss yesterday. Over the past week they have a .706 OPS which is 16th in the league. That's a far cry from their .792 OPS for the season which is second in baseball, but is still a functional lineup that can win games. They've just needed to be a bit more timely and get a little bit better pitching.
Today, they'll start pounding the ball again. There is no team in baseball that punishes left-handed pitchers more than the Braves, so Cody Bradford will have a very tough time in his debut. They have .941 OPS against lefties with a league best 27 homers.
Five of those have come off the bat of Ozzie Albies who has a 1.275 OPS vs. lefties. Ronald Acuna Jr. and Sean Murphy also have OPSs over 1.000 vs. southpaws.
The Rangers also have a very deep lineup that could have success against Charlie Morton. Morton may seem some regression because his 4.06 FIP is nearly a run higher than his ERA, but a wiley vet like Morton will be able to lead his team to a win in a spot like this. I trust the Braves to get back into the win column even as favorites on the road.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change
