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On Tuesday evening, Hunter Brown and the Astros silenced the Braves' bats. However, the Astros also struggled to score runs of their own, and both of these offenses are far too talented to be held at bay for long.
The Braves send left-handed pitcher Max Fried to the mound on Wednesday, although he has yet to turn in a respectable performance thus far. J.P. France gets the ball for the Astros in the series finale, and he is another starter who may deal with negative regression this season.
Let's break down both teams below along with my Braves vs. Astros prediction.
Braves vs. Astros Odds
Wednesday, April 17, 2:10 p.m. ET, Bally Sports SE | Space City Home Network
| Braves Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
| -136 |
9 -115/ -105 |
-1.5 +118 |
| Astros Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
| +116 |
9 -115/ -105 |
+1.5 -142 |
Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute MLB odds here.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves shockingly did little damage against Brown, who did not record a single out in his previous start in Kansas City. Now Atlanta is back to the drawing board but get a juicy matchup against left-handed France.
The big story for the Braves thus far has been Ronald Acuña Jr. as he is finally starting to heat up over the past week. Acuña is still in search of his first home run of the season but continues to run extremely well on the bases.
The Braves do not have a lot of experience against France, but Adam Duvall is 3-5 with a home run against him. Outside of Duvall, the right-handed hitters on the roster are in for a big afternoon.
Fried has a tough matchup himself against the Astros because he is still trying to establish some consistency, and this is not the best matchup for him.
The Braves should take care of business on offense against France, but I have no faith in Fried to lead them to victory. Their offense is the only certainty I have heading into the matchup.
Houston Astros
We spoke about how bad France has been above, but let's take a deeper look at the numbers. Currently, he has a 28% Ground-Ball Rate and is averaging 4BB/9. France finished last season with a 3.83 ERA, but his xFIP was 4.80. He is a contact pitcher who allows far too many free passes for my liking.
Offensively, the Astros need to wake up themselves. Besides Altuve, the primary boppers of the offense hit from the left side, which is not great against Fried.
Although he is still not himself, there is nothing that suggests he is slowing down. Fried will cut down on the walks and generate a ton of weak contact with strikeout stuff before we know it.
The current Astros are also horrific against Fried, accumulating only seven hits in 63 plate appearances. It sounds like a long afternoon at the dish is imminent for the offense.
Braves vs. Astros
Betting Pick & Prediction
I really like the Braves bats to bounce back on Wednesday afternoon. France is a ticking time bomb out on the mound, and the Braves bats were shockingly quiet last night.
Despite little experience against France, he allowed 19 homers in 156 innings last season. It is not a favorable matchup for him at all, and he will continue throwing up duds as long as he is not missing bats.
The total is currently sitting at nine, but the Braves are in for a terrific afternoon at the plate. With the Astros' horrific offensive numbers against Fried, it is much safer to rely on the Braves offense instead.
Pick: Braves Team Total Over
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