The Atlanta Braves are at the Cleveland Guardians for the first of a three-game series on Monday. The Braves are the hottest team in Major League Baseball, with 8 straight wins. The Braves overall are now 56-27 on the season and 26-12 on the road. Atlanta has moved 9 games ahead of the Marlins in the National League East.
For Cleveland, after losing the first game of the series on Friday, they came back with back-to-back wins to win the series against the Cubs. The Guardians held a 6-0 lead before blowing the lead, but scored 2 in the 10th to win the game. The win on Sunday was their 41st in 83 games this season. The Guardians and Twins are neck and neck for the American League Central Divisional lead. Cleveland is 7-3 in their last 10 games.
The Braves are favorites in this game. You can bet Atlanta at -165, while you can get the underdog, Cleveland, at +138. The total for this game is listed at 9.
Atlanta Rolling Along in 2023
The Braves have a +139 run differential on the season, and that’s due in large part to their ability to hit the long ball. In the win on Sunday, Ozzie Albies hit a two-run home run to lead the way to a 6-3 win. The Braves are 2nd in batting average, with a .272. The leading hitter for Atlanta has been Ronald Acuna Jr., with a .336 average.
Matt Olson has been electric in the middle of the order with 28 home runs, and he has also driven in 68 runs. The Braves’ pitching is 5th in earned run average, at 3.68, while opponents are hitting .240 against them.
Bryce Elder is expected to take the ball for Atlanta in this one. Elder has thrown 96 innings this season and struck out 76 batters. He sits with a 6-1 record and a 2.44 earned run average on the season. Elder is 24 years old and coming off a win over the Twins, where he allowed just 4 hits and 2 runs over 6 innings.
Youngster On the Mound for Cleveland
Gavin Williams will make the start for the Guardians. Williams is making his third start of his career. The 23-year-old started on June 21st against Oakland and was roughed up for 4 runs over 5.2 innings. Since then, Williams threw 7 scoreless innings against Kansas City on June 27th.
The pitching for Cleveland this season has mostly been solid. The Guardians are 7th in the league in runs allowed, with 4.1 per game. Opponents are only hitting .241 against them, but the long ball has been a problem. Cleveland has allowed opponents to hit 80 home runs, the second most in all of baseball.
Andres Gimenez got the offensive party started on Sunday with his sixth home run of the season. The long ball has been a little unkind to Cleveland this season, as they are last in all of baseball, with just 55 of them. The Guardians are batting .248 as a team, which is led by Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor. Both of those two are just shy of .300 on the season.
Braves Keep Winning
Expect the Braves to tee off on young pitching. Atlanta has some great offensive threats that are going to be ready to hit. The Braves are one of the, if not the best, teams in baseball. Elder should throw well enough to help Atlanta win this game. Bet the Braves. Take Atlanta -1.5 at +105. Also, look at the over-9 as Atlanta pounds the baseball.
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