Published May 25, 8:51pm ET by
Paul Lebowitz - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated May 25, 8:51pm ET
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Updated May 25, 8:51pm ET
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| Boston Red Sox | -105 |
| Atlanta Braves | -105 |
Spencer Strider heads to the hill for his fifth start this season. After struggling in his first start, he's pitched very well in his last three. Overall, he has a 3.00 ERA in 21 innings, allowing 12 hits, 7 earned runs, walking 12, and striking out 27.
The righty faced the Red Sox at home on May 15. He went 5.1 innings, allowed 3 hits, and 1 earned run.
Atlanta lost 2 straight over the weekend to the Nationals, but they're still well in front in the NL East and have the best record in MLB.
At the plate, Matt Olson has an .887 OPS and 14 homers. Austin Riley and Mike Yastrzemski continue to struggle batting .223 and .229, respectively. Ronald Acuña Jr. has been slumping of late.
For the Braves against Red Sox starter Ranger Suarez, Ozzie Albies is 9 for 31 with a double and 3 homers. Riley is 10 for 31 with 3 doubles and 2 homers. Acuña is 6 for 27 with 3 doubles. Michael Harris is 3 for 25 with 3 singles. Ha-Seong Kim is 3 for 14 with 3 singles. Olson is 10 for 33 with 2 doubles. Dominic Smith is 3 for 10 with 3 singles.
The Red Sox are coming off a sweep at the hands of the Twins and are in last place in the AL East.
Suarez has pitched well after a slow start to the season, though he hasn't gobbled up many innings in his last three starts. Overall, he has a 1.1 bWAR and a 2.40 ERA. In 48.2 innings, he's allowed 35 hits, 13 earned runs, walked 14, and struck out 43.
After a brief spurt of good play after firing Alex Cora and replacing him with Chad Tracy, they have reverted to their seasonlong mediocrity with a 12-13 record under their interim manager.
They're not hitting. Caleb Durbin is batting .163. Jarren Duran is at .193. Trevor Story is on the injured list, but had a .206 batting average before being shelved with a sports hernia. Willson Contreras has an .899 OPS and 11 homers. Wilyer Abreu has an .801 OPS.
Against Strider, Connor Wong is 2 for 3 with 2 singles. Ceddanne Rafaela is 1 for 1 with a double. Carlos Navarez is 1 for 1 with a double. Mickey Gasper is 1 for 2 with a single. Contreras is 1 for 4 with a single. Durbin and Duran are a combined 0 for 6.
On paper, this looks like a clear advantage for the Braves. The Red Sox are not hitting and have hit a new skid after being swept by the mediocre Twins. Suarez has been solid this season, but has only pitched into the 4th or 5th inning in his last 3 starts.
Strider has been solid, and Atlanta is hitting as a team. The Braves will rebound from their series loss to the Nats and take their frustrations out on the spiraling Red Sox.
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Atlanta Braves -1.5 (+149)
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