- What: MLB Regular Season Game
- When: July 18, 2025
- Who: New York Yankees vs. Atlanta Braves
- Time: 1:15 p.m. PST
- Where: Truist Park (Atlanta, GA)
The New York Yankees (53-43) open a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves (42-53) at Truist Park on Friday, with first pitch at 1:15 p.m. PST. This is their first matchup of the season after Atlanta won last year’s series 2-1.
The Yankees, meanwhile, dropped two of three to the Cubs to end the first half, including a 4-1 loss on Sunday with just two hits. Giancarlo Stanton hit his fourth homer of the year. Looking ahead, Ian Hamilton will start for New York, as Max Fried is day-to-day with a blister.
On the other side, the Braves come in after taking two of three from the Cardinals last weekend, though they went 3-7 in their last 10 games before the break. With Atlanta sitting 9.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, their status at the trade deadline is uncertain.
Pitching Matchup
Yankees right-hander Ian Hamilton (1-0, 3.47 ERA) will open, bringing a 1.16 WHIP and 9.9 K/9 over 36 1/3 relief innings. He’s been sharp on the road with a 1.74 ERA in 14 outings and threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings against the Braves last season.
Atlanta’s Spencer Strider (3-7, 3.94 ERA) gets his 12th start, owning a 1.17 WHIP and 10.8 K/9 over 61 2/3 innings. In his last outing, he struck out 11 over 6 2/3 innings against Oakland. Strider has yet to face the Yankees and is 2-3 with a 3.30 ERA at home this year.
Considering both teams’ recent form, the Atlanta Braves have struggled lately, yet betting sites continue to show them considerable respect. I’m not convinced, and I prefer the Yankees in this matchup, given their far superior offense.
In support of this, in the last 30 days, the Yankees boast an .812 OPS, ranking second in the majors, while the Braves sit at 18th with a .705 OPS over the same period.
Adding to Atlanta’s challenges, Spencer Strider is on the mound tonight and has allowed three earned runs in three of his last four starts.
This is a tough matchup for Strider and the Braves, so I’ll take the Yankees on the road in this one.
Best Bet: Yankees Money Line at +115 odds
July Record: 13-22-2 -9.05 units
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Tony Reyes is a sports betting analyst and reporter for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X @TonyParlay.
