- What: MLB Wild Card Playoff Game
- When: Wednesday, October 2nd
- Who: Atlanta Braves vs. San Diego Padres
- Time: 5:38 p.m. PST
- Where: Petco Park (San Diego, CA)
Can the Atlanta Braves survive and force a third game in this Wild Card series against the San Diego Padres?
Atlanta Braves
The Braves will turn to Max Fried tonight with their playoff lives on the line. He has been excellent in his last eight starts. He’s recorded a 2.39 ERA with a 0.97 WHIP over that span.
Fried should have an advantage tonight as the Padres are much worse against left-handed pitchers than right-handed ones. Their batting average drops from .272 all the way to .239 against lefties.
Game 2. #DigDeepATL pic.twitter.com/ZMllwDDr66
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 2, 2024
The Braves got blanked yesterday on the offensive end as Michael King shut them down. King recorded 12 strikeouts in five innings without any runs or walks.
They have been a good road team this season, putting up a 43-38 record. They’ll turn to their best hitters, Michael Harris II, Matt Olson and Jorge Soler to bounce back. MVP-candidate Marcell Ozuna will need to have a good game in order for this team to avoid elimination.
San Diego Padres
The Padres will send Joe Musgrove to the mound to eliminate the Braves and advance them to the National League Divisional Series. Musgrove has been a great pitcher since returning from the injured list in August. He’s allowed two runs or fewer in seven of his nine starts.
They have been rolling since the All-Star break. They went 43-20 post All-Star break with a 16-8 record in September. Everything seems to be breaking their way.
Let’s run it back ???? pic.twitter.com/3HWclrZpwT
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) October 2, 2024
This Padres lineup is a problem for most pitchers. They have a tremendous amount of talent on that side of the ball.
NL Batting Champion Luis Arraez is their leadoff hitter, while Fernando Tatis and Manny Machado bat cleanup. In addition to those sluggers, they have Jurrikson Profar and Rookie of the Year candidate Jackson Merrill.
Braves-Padres Best Bet
The Braves were in a difficult travel spot yesterday, but this Padres team is so hot right now it’s difficult to imagine the Braves cooling them off.
Searching this game for the best bets, I thought about the total because Petco Park is a pitchers park. However, the total set at 6.5 runs, so I’m staying away because that feels like a good number by the oddsmakers. I don’t have a strong lean one way or the other on the total.
I’m going to advise taking the Padres on the moneyline in this one. They’re simply too talented and are clicking at the right time.
The best bet in this one will be the Padres moneyline at -125 odds.
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Tony Reyes is a sports betting analyst and reporter for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X @TonyParlay.
