The Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves will face off in Game 2 on Wednesday. The first pitched is set for 2:08 pm ET.
The Braves got here by winning two games against the Reds and did so by not allowing them to score a single run in the series. They come into this series as the favorite and got the win in Game 1 on Tuesday.
Ronald Acuña Jr. started the game with a home run for the Braves. However, they were entering the seventh inning down 4-3, but had a huge inning, scoring six runs. Max Fried left the mound after surrendering four runs in four innings, but it was good enough thanks to the bullpen.
The Marlins are the big underdog in this series. Not many expected them to be in the postseason, and certainly not to beat the Cubs in the Wild Card series.
Marlins Need A Boost
Miami needs a whole lot to go right to make this series close. They are a young team that many believe is the worst team left still playing.
Pablo Lopez will get the start for the Marlins in Game 2. In the regular season, he went 6-4 and had a 3.61 ERA.
He will need to pitch better than he has in the past against Atlanta. In his three starts against the Braves, he has thrown 12.2 innings and given up nine earned runs.
The Marlins did come out and score five runs in Game 1. They need some pitching to work out in their favor as well if they want to be competitive in this series.
Anderson on the Mound for Atlanta
The Braves will start Ian Anderson on Wednesday in Game 2. He is 3-2 on the year with a 1.95 ERA. He has had some success against Atlanta, throwing over eight innings while only allowing one earned run.
Center fielder Acuña is one of the most exciting young players in baseball. Leading off with a home run in Game 1 was no surprise to Braves fans.
Meanwhile, first baseman Freddie Freeman is one of the hottest players in baseball. He held a batting average of .341 this season, which was good for third in the league. This Braves squad might go as far as Freeman carries them.
Prediction
The advantage on the mound in this matchup is with the Braves. Anderson is coming off of a dominant postseason outing.
The Braves are the heavy favorite with a moneyline at -216. The runline is even at -125. Still, I think that the moneyline bet is the one to make for this game.
Another popular pick will be to take the over after Game 1, but I wouldn’t be so quick to take it. While the Braves may put up a decent number of runs, the Marlins might struggle against Anderson.
The over/under is set at 8.5, and I’m going with the under. Braves win Game 2 by a score of 5-1.