Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

It’s an NL East showdown on Tuesday night as the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves clash.

These two teams were expected to be in a dogfight for the division title all season and even contend for the World Series.

However, it’s been an unlucky season for Atlanta with their injuries. The Phillies, on the other hand, started well but have struggled mightily since the All-Star Break.

Tuesday night’s probable pitchers are Zack Wheeler for the Phillies and Reynaldo Lopez for the Braves, so let’s get into our expert’s preview and best bets.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves betting picks and predictions

Phillies ML (-135)

Reynaldo Lopez was the talk of the first half of the season. The former reliever was converted back into the starter role and became one of the most dependable arms in the game.

Lopez finished the first half of the season with a 7-4 record, a 1.88 ERA, and a 1.17 WHIP in 17 starts. He was leading the league in ERA and formed a dominant Atlanta rotation with Chris Sale and Max Fried.

However, Lopez has been sidelined for the last three weeks due to elbow inflammation. He made two starts in the second half of the season and allowed four runs and 10 hits in nine innings before landing on the injured list.

Lopez was likely starting to feel some arm fatigue since this is the most innings he’s thrown in a season since 2019. He made one rehab start prior to Tuesday, so he will likely be on a pitch count in his first start back.

You know what you’re going to get when Zack Wheeler takes the mound. The Philadelphia ace has allowed two earned runs or less in 13 of his last 15 starts.

Wheeler was fantastic in the first half of the season with a 10-4 record and a 2.70 ERA, but history has told us to expect an even better second half of the year. The right-hander tends to only get better as the season goes on and it’s happening again this year considering he’s limited hitters to just a .193 batting average and .196 xBA with a 29 percent strikeout rate since the All-Star break.

This will be his second start of the year against the Braves with the first coming on Opening Day, and Wheeler threw a six-inning shutout in that outing.

Since the Braves are without Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, or Jorge Soler at the moment, don’t expect a lot of run support for Lopez. Take the Phillies in the series opener.

Under 8.5 total runs (-120)

This is a higher game total than expected. However, it’s not too surprising since Lopez is coming off an injury and the Phillies lineup has plenty of talented bats.

Philadelphia ranks second in batting average, fifth in on-base percentage, sixth in OPS, and seventh in wRC+ since the calendar flipped to August. The lineup is back to full health and their bench has been producing at an extremely high rate, like Weston Wilson who just hit for the cycle.

Plus, the Philadelphia lineup has hit Lopez well over the years.

Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, and Alec Bohm are a combined 17-for-51 (.333) with 10 extra-base hits against Lopez in their careers. We wouldn't be surprised to see the Phillies score four or five runs against Lopez, but the under is still the best bet because the Braves lineup likely won’t contribute too much to the total.

The injuries continue to add up for the Braves. Austin Riley fractured his hand over the weekend which means he is out for the next few weeks along with Ozzie Albies. If that wasn’t enough, Jorge Soler has been dealing with a hamstring injury and hasn’t played in a game in nearly a week.

Unsurprisingly, the Braves offensive production has taken a hit with their star players out. Atlanta has scored three runs or less in three of their last four games. And we don’t expect them to break out of that slump tonight against one of the best pitchers in baseball. We see a final score of about 5-2 in favor of the Phillies.

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Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves odds

Philadelphia Phillies	-135 ML
Atlanta Braves	+115 ML
Run Line	Phillies -1.5
Total	O/U 8.5

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves player props

Player Home Run Odds

Kyle Schwarber (Phillies)	+310
Bryce Harper (Phillies)	+460
Nick Castellanos (Phillies)	+500
Matt Olson (Braves)	+400
Marcell Ozuna (Braves)	+330
Travis D'Arnaud (Braves)	+400

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.