Best Bet Alert: Astros vs. Braves 8/20/22

Houston Astros vs Atlanta Braves

Date: Saturday August 20th, 7:15 ET

Location: Truist Park

TV: FOX

Money Line: Astros +144 / Braves -154 (BAS – Betting at Reduced Odds is SMART!)

Total Line: 7.5

STARTING PITCHING

Houston: Cristian Javier (7-8, 2.96)
Atlanta: Spencer Strider (7-4, 3.23)

Astros Projected Lineup

Jeremy Peña SS
Chas McCormick LF
Kyle Tucker RF
Trey Mancini 1B
Alex Bregman 3B
Martín Maldonado C
Yordan Alvarez LF
Jose Altuve 2B
Yuli Gurriel 1B
Cristian Javier P

Braves Projected Lineup

Travis d’Arnaud C
Vaughn Grissom 2B
Eddie Rosario RF
Ronald Acuña Jr. RF
William Contreras C
Austin Riley 3B
Michael Harris II CF
Matt Olson 1B
Dansby Swanson SS
Spencer Strider P

STRAIGHT UP/ OVER/UNDER / RUN LINE RECORDS

Houston Astros: 77-44-0 SU / OU 45-71-5 / Run Line W/L 62-59-0
Atlanta Braves: 74-47-0 SU / OU 60-53-8 / Run Line W/L 64-57-0

The Atlanta Braves host the Houston Astros on Saturday August 20th at Truist Park. The first pitch in this matchup is scheduled for 07:15 ET. The MLB Odds Board at BetNow Atlanta as the favorite (-154), with an OU line set at 7.5.

Recent Form

Heading into Saturday’s game, the Astros are looking to bounce back from a 6-2 loss. In the game, Houston scored each of their 2 runs in the 5th inning. In total, they came up with 7 hits. This season, the Astros are exactly .500 on the road, at 32-32. The team has won 6 of their last 10 games.

The Atlanta Braves come into the game as one of the hottest teams in all of baseball, winning 9 of their last 10 games. This includes picking up an impressive 6-2 win over Houston last night. Kyle Wright had just 1 inning in which he gave up 2 runs, otherwise, he did a good job shutting down the Astros. Austin Riley led the team with 3 RBI’s on 2 hits.

Pitching Matchup

The Houston Astros will send Cristian Javier to the mound with an overall record of 7-8. Through 22 appearances, Javier has an ERA of just 2.96 while averaging 4.82 innings per appearance. So far, batters are hitting just 0.184 against him. Per 9 innings pitched, Javier is averaging 1.1 home runs allowed. Per game, Cristian Javier is averaging 6.27, on a strikeout percentage of 32.0%. In his previous outings, walks have been an issue, as Javier is averaging 3.3 free passes per outing.

In today’s game, Atlanta turns to starter Spencer Strider. For the year, he has a record of 7-4. In his previous outings, Strider has lasted an average of 3.77 innings, putting together an ERA of just 3.23. Hits have been hard to come by against the right-hander, as his batting average allowed is just 0.184. This year Strider is allowing just 0.48 home runs per 9 innings pitched. Overall, Spencer Strider has struck out 37.0% of the batters he has faced. On average, he averages 5.68 K’s per game. Command has been a problem for Strider, as he is giving up 3.33 walks per outing.

Houston vs Atlanta History

Today’s matchup between the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves will be their 2nd meeting of the season. Atlanta holds the edge in the series at 1-0. The over-under record in this series sits at 0-0. The average run total in these games is 7.5 runs per game. In these matchups, the average scoring differential sits at 4.0 runs. Atlanta won last year’s head-to-head series, grabbing 4 wins to 2. In these 6 meetings, the two teams combined for an over-under record of 1-4. Last year, the Astros and Braves averaged 7.5 runs per game. The average scoring differential in this series was 3.83 runs per game.

More Picks: Miami Marlins at LA Dodgers 8/20/22 ML Bet

Betting Trends

• Astros are 4-1 in their last 5 interleague games vs. a team with a winning record.
• Astros are 4-1 in their last 5 interleague road games.
• Braves are 6-1 in their last 7 interleague home games.
• Braves are 5-1 in their last 6 after allowing 2 runs or less in their previous game.

Houston Astros at Atlanta Braves Prediction

In one of the most exciting matchups of the night, the Houston Astros take on the Braves in Atlanta. If Houston is going to pull out the win, they will need to do so against Spencer Strider, who has a WHIP of just 1.04. On the other side, Cristian Javier doesn’t have an impressive record but has a WHIP of 1.03 and can rack up the strikeouts. I recommend taking the Astros to come out on top.

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