The Atlanta Braves are the current toast of the NL East. However, Brian Snitker’s squad has attained its first place standing by taking on a very questionable cast of opponents. Of its eight played series to date, only two have come against +.500 opponents and they split one of those series against the Tampa Bay Rays and got swept by the New York Yankees in the other. The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t been world beaters either, but the offense is currently firing on all cylinders which could prove to be problematic for Touki Toussaint and his bloated 7.97 ERA. Opposing him in this week’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast will be Zach Eflin whose given up 4 ER in each of his last two starts. The scoreboard operators are likely to earn their paychecks in this one!
First pitch for the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves is scheduled for Sunday, August 23, 2020, at 7 p.m. ET from Truist Park. The matchup will be shown live on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast. You can bet on MLB Odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
Odds Analysis
Wednesday’s loss to the Boston Red Sox put an end to the team’s five-game win streak that began with a four-game home sweep of the New York Mets. In dropping that decision in Beantown, the Phillies fell a game under .500 to 9-10 which finds them two-games in back of the Braves for division bragging rights. It’s amounted to $279 in losses for MLB bettors overall with a bulk of the deficit being accrued at home where Bryce Harper and company are 7-8. On the road, the team’s split its four matchups which resulted in another $21 deficit.
Just how much longer can the Braves survive with Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies out of commission? Also unavailable moving forward is Nick Markakis who was recently added to the COVID-19 injured list. That’s a ton of pop currently out of the lineup, and it’s shown in the overall results. Atlanta has managed just three wins in its last eight played games with the offense averaging just 3.8 runs per game dating back to August 12. The poor showing has equated to a -$224 return on investment for those that backed them during this down stretch.
Probable Pitchers
Zach Eflin: There isn’t a whole lot to get excited about when it comes to Eflin, but alas he continues to trot out to the bump every fifth day. In three starts against the Yankees, Orioles and Red Sox, the right-hander has conceded 16 hits (2 HR) and 8 ER. Opponents are batting .281 against him overall, but he’s been able to limit the damage by logging a pretty solid 23:5 K/BB ratio. He’s failed to see the fifth inning in two of his three made starts, and stands 3-3 with a 3.66 ERA and insanely high .559 BAA through seven career starts against the Braves.
Touki Toussaint: Last we saw Toussaint in live action, he was busy serving up gopher balls to the Washington Nationals. Juan Soto launched one into orbit that still hasn’t landed yet! The only two hits surrendered left the yard, but the main factor in only going three innings were the six free passes. The youngster no doubt has a live arm evidenced by 77 strikeouts registered through 70+ career innings of work, but he’s also been extremely wild having walked 47 total batters; that’s a 6.0 BB/9 average! Toussaint’s only thrown 3.1 innings of relief at Philly in his career.
Key Stat
Philadelphia currently stands 4-7 versus the 11 right-handed pitchers its opposed to this point of the season, but still scored an average of 5.2 runs per game in those contests; good for the seventh best ranking in the league. Didi Gregorius has been punishing right-handers to the tune of a .362 batting average and .889 OPS. Bryce Harper also figures to be a tough out for Touki with him collecting 14 hits (3 HR) and 9 RBI while taking eight walks and only striking out six times versus righties. While Toussaint could hold the advantage over J.T. Realmuto and Rhys Hoskins who’ve struggled versus righties, the same can’t be said for the bats just mentioned. Touki best have his control. If not, it’ll be another long night for the youngster!
MLB Pick
Though Eflin does little to get you excited about backing him in this spot, I feel it’s the prudent move to make in this matchup. Atlanta has been getting the job done with smoke and mirrors, and I think it’ll only be a matter of time until it all catches up to them. In fact, that just might be occurring right now evidenced by the team’s recent string of play. Atlanta’s a miraculous ninth inning comeback win away against Washington from having its two most recent wins come against the Miami Marlins. While you’re always flirting with disaster backing the Phillies due to their poor excuse of a bullpen, I firmly expect Harper and company to give it enough breathing room to get the outs necessary to earn the win and close this series out in style.
MLB Odds: Phillies 8, Braves 5
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