MLB Picks & Predictions: Phillies vs. Braves (Thursday)
The Yankees, White Sox and Padres all took care of business on Wednesday, which means the only MLB postseason game today features the Phillies taking on the Braves. The first two games in the series have been dramatic, with the Braves needing an eighth-inning home run to win Game 1 and the Phillies sealing a Game 2 win on a 10th-inning home run. Below, I dive into the best bets for this game, including who I think will advance to the National League Division Series (NLDS). Here are the best MLB picks for Phillies vs. Braves.
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Thursday’s Best MLB Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves
Aaron Nola is expected to start Game 3 for the Phillies. While the Phillies have lost all three of his starts against the Braves, he's pitched very well in his recent appearances against them. He faced the Braves twice in September, allowing just three earned runs in 13.1 innings.
For the Braves, Grant Holmes is expected to pitch the majority of the game. He's faced the Phillies twice this month, allowing two earned runs in 10 innings. While it's been an up-and-down season for Holmes, he's allowed two or fewer runs in five consecutive appearances and eight of his last 10 overall.
Across two games, neither offense has been particularly good early, with just two runs scored in the first five innings of each contest. With two solid pitchers expected to eat up a lot of early innings, I'm going to back another low-scoring first five innings.
Will Zack Wheeler pitch in this game? He pitched six innings on Sunday to help the Phillies clinch a playoff berth, and if he appears today, it will be on short rest. That said, there is no doubt that the Phillies could use him. He finished the regular season with a 3.00 ERA, which ranked 12th-best in the National League, and a 1.05 WHIP, which ranked seventh-best.
Wheeler's career numbers against the Braves are excellent. He's struck out 113 of the 347 batters he's faced, allowing just a .225 batting average. I'd be shocked if he doesn't at least make an appearance in this game with the Phillies' season on the line.
The question then becomes whether the duo of Nola and Wheeler will be enough to keep the Braves in check. In my eyes, the Phillies have a definite pitching advantage in this game if they can put both players on the mound at some point. With neither team hitting particularly well, that's going to be the difference in this game
Picks: Phillies Moneyline (-116) & First 5 Innings Under 3.5 Runs (+126)
Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.