The Atlanta Braves have set the pace in the National League East this season. They don’t want to let the Washington Nationals gain ground on them before the All-Star break.
Miami Marlins @ Atlanta Braves – Wednesday, July 3
Betting line: No line
Why Miami Will Win
When immersed in the world of online sports betting, it’s generally recommended to pick the team with the much better record, but as any of the best sports betting sites will tell you, the 162-game grind of a Major League Baseball season will certainly bring about occasions in which the underdog wins. Miami is in position to win this particular contest on Wednesday night in Atlanta because it will have the more motivated pitcher on the hill.
Chris Cotillo of SB Nation, in a piece written on June 29, said this about Miami’s starting pitcher for this game: “Miami Marlins’ righty Ricky Nolasco, who is expected to be traded very soon, has been consistently linked to the Orioles, but Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi of FoxSports.com report that they are ‘less confident’ in their chances to acquire him. The Dodgers, Padres, and Giants are seen as Nolasco’s most serious suitors, and a deal should happen soon.” Nolasco would love to be able to get out of Miami and leave behind one of the worst and most cash-strapped organizations in all of baseball. Nolasco knows that he is auditioning for other teams, performing for a chance to jump onto a contender, a team that has a chance to make the playoffs and will be playing meaningful games in August at the very least, if not September. Nolasco knows that facing the Atlanta Braves, the first-place team in the Marlins’ division, gives him a showcase event in which he can impress his suitors. That’s a rare level of incentive for any pitcher. Expect Nolasco to try his best – to perform with above-average effort and concentration – against Atlanta’s batting order in this tilt. That could give the Marlins the extra edge in this contest.
Why Atlanta Will Win
Whether you want to become a betting agent or merely continue to join in the action at premier sports betting outlets across the country, you are going to have plenty of reason to go with the Braves on Wednesday. Let’s not complicate the matter: The Braves just finished off the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend, sweeping the first-place team in the National League West and re-establishing themselves as the big dog in the National League East. The Braves are clearly one of the four best teams in the Senior Circuit and one of the seven best teams in baseball. This is the kind of group that’s not likely to stumble against the lowly Marlins, who have had one of the three worst offenses in baseball over the first three months of the season.
Atlanta starter Mike Minor totes a snappy 2.98 ERA to the mound in this game, almost a full run lower than Nolasco’s 3.93 mark. Minor should be able to contain Miami’s bats, enabling Atlanta’s balanced batting order to cobble together four or five runs against Nolasco.
Who Will Win?
The incentive Nolasco has to pitch well is something that shouldn’t be ignored, but Minor has been a better pitcher this year. This is still very much Atlanta’s game to lose. Take the Braves.
MLB Betting Pick: Atlanta
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