The rematch of last year’s World Series continues as the Braves host the Astros for the middle game of a three-game set in suburban Atlanta Saturday night. Rookie Spencer Strider goes for the Braves here against Christian Javier for Houston. Who do we like for our free Astros/Braves pick?
MLB Betting Odds
Saturday’s baseball betting lines opened Atlanta and Strider at around -140 over Houston and Javier, with an over/under of 7.5 runs. Early betting action then bumped the Braves to -158.
Astros-Braves MLB Betting Preview
Atlanta grabbed the opener of this series Friday night, 6-2. The Braves won as -120 favorites on the dime line while the game pushed an over/under of eight runs. With Friday’s win, Atlanta is 10-1 over its last 11 games. At 74-47 overall, the Braves trail the first-place Mets by 3.5 games in the NL East and lead the NL wild-card race by 7.5 games over second-place Philadelphia. With Friday’s loss, Houston is 2-3 over its last five games. But at 77-44 overall, the Astros lead the AL West by 10.5 games, and they’re 3.5 games up on the Yankees in the battle for the best record in the American League. This series is the first meeting between these teams since Atlanta beat Houston in six games in last year’s World Series.
Saturday’s Pitching Match-Up
Strider is 5/14 on quality starts this season. Monday, he held the Mets to one run and three hits through five innings of a 13-1 Atlanta victory. Which was a welcome bounce-back after giving up four runs in less than three innings his last time out. The Braves are 8-6 with Strider this season, 3-1 over his last four starts. This will be Strider’s first career start against Houston. Javier is 7/18 on quality starts this year, working on a run of three in a row. Last Sunday, he held Oakland scoreless on one hit through six innings of a 6-3 Astros win. And over his last three stars he’s allowed just three runs and 11 hits through 18 innings, with four walks against 17 strikeouts. Houston is 9-9 with Javier this season, but that’s at least three games worse than they should be, based on his performances. This will be Javier’s first career start against Atlanta.
Splits With the Sticks
Houston is batting .246 against right-handed pitching this season, with a .320 team OBP and a .421 team slugging percentage. Atlanta is slashing .249/.309/.445 against right-handed pitching.
The Bullpens
The Braves bullpen owns a 3.21 ERA this season, along with a 1.17 WHIP. The Astros pen owns an ML-best 2.96 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP.
- Get more details: Houston at Atlanta 8/20/22 Betting Stats
MLB Betting Trends
The Astros are 38-26 on the road this season and 48-33 against right-handed starters. The Braves are 41-23 at home and 46-35 against right-handed starters.
Totals Report
- The Under is 71-46 in Astros games this season.
- The Over is 60-53 in Braves games.
- The Under is a combined 18-12 with Strider and Javier this season.
- The Under is 32-31 at Truist Park this season.
