The Atlanta Braves (4-11) and the Toronto Blue Jays (9-7) continue their three-game series on Tuesday in this Braves vs. Blue Jays prediction. The first game of the set was played on Monday night (Note: This article was published before Monday's results). The Braves are coming off a 2-1 series loss in Tampa Bay, while the Blue Jays split two games with the Orioles on the road. Atlanta is set to start Spencer Schwellenbach (0.45 ERA) while Toronto is going with Kevin Gausman (2.33 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:07 EST. See below for our Braves vs. Blue Jays prediction, and keep up will all of our winning MLB picks!
Atlanta is in Last
The Atlanta Braves are slowly trying to make their way back up the NL East standings, but it won't be easy as they have dug themselves a big hole while they sit at 4-11. Worst to first is possible, the Houston Astros pulled it off last season, but catching the Phillies and Mets will take a lot of winning. They are coming off a series loss in Tampa, where they lost the rubber match 8-3 despite Matt Olson's RBI single.
Olson is the thirty-one-year-old first baseman, he hit 54 home runs in 2023, and the Braves hope he can come close to that level of production this season. So far he only has one home run on the year with eight RBIs and is batting .200 from the cleanup spot. Marcell Ozuna led the team in most offensive categories last season and is doing it again this year through the first 15 games with three home runs, eight RBIs and a .306 batting average. Ozuna bats third as their DH. Michael Harris Jr. had an RBI in Sunday's game against the Rays, he is their centerfielder and leadoff man who has two homers and six RBIs from the top of the lineup.
Spencer Schwellenbach has been one of the rare bright spots for the Braves this season. This will be his fourth start as a 24-year old right hander, his record is 1-0, and the team has gone 2-1 overall in his three starts. His ERA is way down at 0.45, as he has allowed just one earned run on the season, which came off a Kyle Schwarber solo shot. Schwellenbach held the Padres and Marlins scoreless over his first two starts.
Blue Jays Lead AL East
The Toronto Blue Jays currently sit on top of the AL East, which is consistently one of the most difficult divisions in baseball. They lead the Yankees by just half a game, with the whole division within 2.5 games of each other. They won a series in Boston against the Red Sox, then split with the Orioles as they had to postpone one of their three games. In their most recent game against Baltimore, Myles Straw had the game-winning RBI in the 10th inning to win 7-6.
Straw was playing centerfield and batting 8th in the lineup on Sunday, but has been in and out of the lineup this season as they rotate their outfielders. The game-winning RBI was only his second RBI of the season. George Springer shares the team lead in RBIs with 10, he has been taking their DH spot recently, but can also fill in for right field when needed. Springer has been batting cleanup with two home runs and a very strong .375 batting average to start the year. Bo Bichette also has 20 RBIs this season, the shortstop has taken the leadoff spot and has a .314 batting average. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. locked up a long-term deal with Toronto, the 26-year-old first baseman has seven RBIs on the season but is still waiting for his first home run.
Kevin Gausman is making his fourth start as a 34-year old right hander. He has a 1-1 record through those games, with the team going 2-1 overall in his starts. His ERA is 2.33, and is coming off a strong performance against Boston where he lasted 8.0 innings and did not give up any earned runs with 10 strikeouts in the win.
Best Bets for Atlanta Braves vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
The Braves are sending out one of their top pitchers, as Schwellenbach has been excellent this season, and will carry the team to a victory here. At just 24 years old, he is looking like he will be a major part of the Atlanta rotation for years to come and has only allowed one earned run over 20 innings to start the season. The only run came off a Kyle Schwarber home run, as the Phillies, Padres, and Marlins were not able to manufacture any other runs with him on the mound. This will carry over to this Toronto game, as the Blue Jays have not had an overpowering offense so far. Guerrero is still waiting for his first homer, and they played a series against the Mets where they only scored three total runs over three games. The Atlanta bats will be going, as Ozuna and Olson finally begin to heat up. Take the Braves with Schwellenbach on the mound.
Take Atlanta to win.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
A strong pitching matchup here will send this under the total. Most of the prediction centered upon how dominant Schwellenbach has been so far, which naturally is an indicator for the under. Atlanta has not been a powerful offense this season, which should be obvious as they only have four wins, so combine that with strong pitching and the under looks even better. They went under in two of his three starts, the only time they went over is when the poor pitching of the Marlins allowed the Braves to put up ten runs. That will not happen here, as Gausman has been strong for the Blue Jays. He just pitched eight scoreless innings with ten strikeouts against the Red Sox and will be able to limit this struggling Atlanta offense. This will be a low-scoring interleague game.
Take the under.
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