Braves vs Phillies Betting: National League East Rivals on a Roll

Two of baseball’s hottest teams will square off when the Atlanta Braves visit the Philadelphia Phillies. Each head into Tuesday’s series opener at Citizens Bank Park riding a six-game winning streak.

This is the second series between the National League East rivals this season, with the teams having split four games last month in Atlanta. The Braves are sitting atop the division — and the NL, for that matter — with a record of 46-26.

Which side will have the upper hand this week? Read on for our Braves vs Phillies betting preview.

Braves Humming

The Braves routed Colorado 14-6 on Sunday for their sixth straight win, during which they’ve averaged 9.3 runs. They improved to 13-3 in June and are a season-high 20 games above .500. At 46-26, the Braves are sitting comfortably in first place in the NL East, 5.0 games ahead of second-place Miami and 8.0 ahead of Philadelphia. Oddsmakers expect them to stay there too, listing them as a heavy -1200 favorite to win the division. The Phillies have the next-best odds at +1200.

Atlanta continues to pummel opposing pitching. It leads the majors with 126 home runs and ranks second in average (.269) and third in runs (395). Seven different Braves have hit double-digit homers, led by first baseman Matt Olson, who’s tied for third in MLB with 20. Second baseman Ozzie Albies is second on the team with 17, per MLB results.

No Brave, however, has been more impressive than outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. The 25-year-old superstar is hitting .325 with 15 homers, 45 RBI, and .964 ops, putting himself atop the board for NL MVP. Acuna Jr. is currently a -150 favorite, ahead of Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (+450). Acuna Jr. has also stolen 30 bases and leads baseball in runs scored, with 63.

Phillies Heating Up

Following its sweep of lowly Oakland on the MLB schedule, Philadelphia has won six straight and is back in the thick of the NL playoff race. At 38-34, the Phillies are just 1.0 game out of the final Wild Card spot.

Outfielder Kyle Schwarber has been hot of late, with three home runs and six RBI over his last seven games. The lefty masher twice led off the Oakland series with homers. He has 20 longballs on the season, tied for third-most in baseball behind Los Angeles’ Shohei Ohtani (24) and New York’s Pete Alonso (22).

The Phillies rank eighth in batting average (.258) and 16th in runs scored (320), and that’s without much help from $300-million shortstop Trea Turner, whose OPS remains below .700. Expect Philadelphia’s production to improve across the board, especially as Turner gets more comfortable and designated hitter Bryce Harper improves physically. Harper has 16 RBI in 40 games since returning in May from Tommy John surgery.

Philadelphia is currently a +1200 pick to return to the World Series.

Rosy Outlook for Atlanta

Atlanta currently owns the best win percentage in the National League at .639. So, it’s no surprise then that the Braves are the betting favorite to win the pennant. Atlanta is a +200 pick to make the World Series, ahead of Los Angeles at +250. San Diego is a distant third at +900.

The Braves also share the best odds to win the World Series, matching Tampa Bay at +550. The Dodgers are +600, followed by the defending champion Astros at +750.

Game 1

• Ranger Suarez vs Spencer Strider (Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. ET)

Suarez has been outstanding in June, allowing just two runs over his last 20 innings (0.90 ERA). The 27-year-old left-hander has a 3.82 ERA since returning from the Injured List in May with an elbow strain.

He opposes Strider, whose ERA has jumped to 4.12 following back-to-back rough starts. The 24-year-old right-hander still leads baseball with 127 strikeouts and is a +700 pick to win NL Cy Young. That matches the third-best odds on the board behind Arizona‘s Zac Gallen (+175) and Los Angeles’ Clayton Kershaw (+550).

Atlanta is -1.5 (+110) on the run line and a -150 moneyline favorite, with Philadelphia priced at +135. The projected total is 8.5, per Braves vs Phillies betting odds.

Game 2

• Aaron Nola vs AJ Smith-Shawver (Wednesday, 6:40 p.m. ET)

Nola owns his highest ERA (4.66) since 2016, his second year in the bigs. He faces 20-year-old Smith-Shawver, who has allowed only three runs over his first 13.1 innings (three starts). He earned his first Major League victory in his last start against Colorado (5.2 innings, three ER).

Game 3

• Taijuan Walker vs Bryce Elder (Thursday, 1:05 p.m. ET)

Walker, one of Philadelphia’s big offseason signings, is 7-3 with a 4.31 ERA. He’s been tremendous in June, with a 1.50 ERA in four starts. He faces Elder, who ranks top 10 in ERA (2.60).

For Braves vs Phillies betting odds, analysis, and more, visit pointspreads.com

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