Atlanta Braves vs. San Diego Padres Prediction:
The Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres are sending two of their most experienced pitchers to the mound in Game 2 of their National League wild-card series where the stakes could not be higher.
Max Fried gets the start on the mound for the Braves and though he owns a 3.25 ERA and 3.33 fielding independent for the season, he hasn’t been the same pitcher in the second half.
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Fried has a 3.68 ERA in 13 starts since the beginning of July with his command seeing a dip as he has issued 3.1 walks per nine innings.
The good news is Fried is a lefty, and the Padres hit just .239 against left-handed pitching this season, 19th in the league, while their .272 average against right-handers led the league.
The Braves’ bullpen has a 3.32 ERA for the season, while the Padres rank 11th at 3.78, but since July 1 these bullpens have been relatively equal with the Braves posting a 3.54 ERA and the Padres 3.55.
The Padres have the leg up at the plate, ranking eighth in scoring with nearly 4.7 runs per game to the Braves’ 4.35 (15th). San Diego ranks sixth in on-base percentage, while the Braves are 16th.
The Padres will start Joe Musgrove, who has a 3.88 ERA for the season. But he has been a different pitcher since coming off the injured list in August, allowing two runs or fewer in seven of his nine starts since returning. He has a 2.15 ERA with 0.7 home runs and 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings in this span.
Though the Padres have had issues against left-handed pitching, they get to face a fatigued Braves bullpen. And with the Braves’ offense struggling, the Padres will get the win on Wednesday.
MLB Pick: San Diego Padres moneyline (-115 at Circa)
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