If you would have told the sports betting world that the best the Philadelphia Phillies could by the All-Star break with Roy Halladay pitching in his Cy Young form would be third place in the NL East, you may have gotten some strange looks. If you would have added to it the fact that a young Atlanta Braves team would be in first place, you may have been called crazy.
As NFL betting starts to enter the picture again, MLB winds towards the All-Star break. If you are getting ready to bet on NCAA football, then you may have missed the fact that the Phillies are indeed in third place in the NL East, and the Braves are in first. But over the past couple of days the tide has been shifting, and Philadelphia may be challenging for first place before the All-Star break arrives.
This series with the Braves is exactly what the Phillies need not only to try and take first place in the division, but to get themselves back on track to challenge after the All-Star break. The Phillies have won only four of their last 10, but they did manage to beat the Braves in the first game of this series which pushed Philadelphia to within four games of Atlanta.
This year the MLB betting was supposed to be on the Phillies to go to the World Series. The Phillies opened the season +1000 to win the World Series, but their play during the season has dropped them to +1200. On the other hand, the Braves were +2000 to win the World Series when the season started, but their play this season has put them at +900. The Las Vegas betting experts are sensing a change in the NL East that puts the Braves back on top and the Phillies out in the cold.
For this important final game of this important series the Phillies are putting Jamie Moyer on the mound. Moyer is 47 years old and, aside from one bad nine run outing against Boston, he has had a pretty good season. His record is 9-7 with a 4.13 ERA. He doesn’t have the arm to hold off the Braves, but he does have the experience.
The Braves are placing Kris Medlen on the mound, and he is having an impressive season. His record is 5-1 with a 3.01 ERA. In his last 13 innings pitched he has struck out 10 batters. He continues to impress the Braves’ coaching staff, and he has put himself permanently on the Atlanta starting rotation.
The Phillies have 83 team home runs this season while the Braves have 63. When you put a power hitting team like the Phillies out there against a young pitcher it makes for an interesting game. The Braves are the perfect team for Moyer to pitch against. Atlanta does not hit very well, and they do not hit for power. Moyer should be able to keep the Braves at bay until the sixth or seventh inning when the bullpen would come in and shut the game down.
Pick: Philadelphia Phillies 4-1
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