Once again, the Atlanta Braves have a chance to get to .500 when they play the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night. The Braves took the first game of the series 6-1 on Tuesday night and are favorites to win on Wednesday with a moneyline of -120. However, the betting odds are tight with the St. Louis moneyline listed at +100.
Atlanta is yet to spend a day of the 2021 MLB season over .500. A big reason why is that they haven’t won back-to-back games since before the all-star break. However, with the Mets starting to spiral, the Braves have pulled within 2.5 games of first place in the NL East and can keep the pressure on by getting back to .500 with a win on Wednesday.
As for the Cardinals, they are sitting right at .500 after Tuesday’s loss. The difference is that St. Louis is 10 games out in the NL Central and 7.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. Since the all-star break, the Cardinals are 9-7, which isn’t good enough if St. Louis plans to make a playoff push.
What’s Happening?
Jon Lester struggled on Tuesday in his first start since being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals at the deadline, and now JA Happ is in line to make his Cardinals debut on Wednesday. The 38-year-old Happ had a rough season with the Twins this year, going 5-6 with a 6.77 ERA over 19 starts. Yet, the Cards traded for him on the heels of Happ posting a 9.22 ERA during the month of July.
Naturally, the Atlanta Braves lineup has been a little erratic, having some good games but also getting shut down against good pitching, which is why it’s been weeks since they won back-to-back games. Of course, the Braves were also busy at the trade deadline, reinforcing a lineup that’s without Marcell Ozuna and Ronald Acuna. Oddly enough, it’s the players who have been in Atlanta all along who are raking lately, as both Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley have led the way with three home runs each over the team’s last six games.
Smile Everyone
Drew Smyly will take the mound for Atlanta on Wednesday with the hopes of leading the Braves to a second consecutive win. Smyly has turned in a surprisingly solid season, going 7-3 with a 4.40 ERA in 18 starts. Despite lasting just four innings in his last two starts, Smyly hasn’t taken a loss since May and pitched to a 3.33 ERA in July.
Meanwhile, the Cards have also been erratic offensively, scoring two runs or less in three of their last five games but occasionally having a good day. For what it’s worth, the Cardinals are getting good production from Yadier Molina, Nolan Arenado, and Dylan Carlson lately. But the team’s power has been missing lately, with several other key players slumping.
This is Happening
It doesn’t happen often, but everything is lined up for the Braves to win two in a row on Wednesday. Happ has had a rough year, and things may not get better with Atlanta’s right-handed hitters on a hot streak. The Cardinals aren’t good in high-scoring games, so bet on the Braves to win on Wednesday.
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