The top two teams in all of Major League Baseball will square off for the first of a three-game series on Friday. The Atlanta Braves are on the road at the Tampa Bay Rays. Atlanta got Thursday off, after their win on Wednesday. The Braves have the best record in Major League Baseball at 58-28. Atlanta has won 9 out of their last 10 games, and on the road this season, they are 28-13. For Tampa, they fell 3-1 in 11 innings on Thursday. The Rays are now 57-33 on the season, but still remain atop the American League West.
The Tampa Bay Rays are favorites in this game at home. Tampa Bay comes into the game at -125 over Atlanta. The total for this affair sits at 8.5 runs.
Atlanta Offense Coming in Bunches
The Braves have been red hot, and doing so with a ton of offense. The Braves have scored 88 runs over their last 13 games. The offensive onslaught has pushed Atlanta to 3rd in all of baseball with 487 runs, and they have moved to 2nd in batting average, as they are hitting .274.
Matt Olson has been a quiet threat for National League MVP. Despite his .254 batting average, the slugger has pounded out a National League high 29 home runs, and drove in 70 runs. Ronald Acuna Jr. is also a threat to win the award, as he is leading the Braves with a .337 batting average.
The Atlanta Braves are going to send veteran Charlie Morton to the mound in this game. Morton ill make his 17th start of the season. In those starts, he has thrown over 90 innings, allowing 91 hits and striking out 105 batters. The Braves have won his last three starts. On the season, he is 8-6, with a 3.57.
Rays Looking to Finish 1st Half Strong
For a team that started hot, the Tampa Bay Rays are kind of reeling as they head into the second half of the season. Despite being 24 games over .500, Tampa Bay has dropped 5 straight games. The Rays are now 34-13 at home, and have a +149 run differential, but are looking to finish strong.
Tampa Bay during the five game losing streak scored just 3 runs per game. The pitching for Tampa Bay allowed nearly 6 runs per game. That has caused the Rays team ERA to climb to 3.75 this season; which is 5th in baseball.
Tyler Glasnow will get the call for the Tampa Bay Rays. The 29-year-old is 2-2 on the season, with a 4.50 earned run average. Glasnow went 5.2 innings in his last start, but struck out 11 batters. Over his last three starts, Glasnow has struck out 30 batters in 15 innings.
Braves Top Rays on Friday
It’s hard to bet against the Atlanta Braves right now. Tampa Bay got off to a quick start, but have cooled a bit since then. Atlanta is on a tear, and smoking the baseball. This does not seem like a great matchup for Tyler Glasnow. Bet on the Atlanta Braves to win this game over the Tampa Bay Rays. Bet Atlanta +105 over the Rays.
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