Archie Bradley (4-8, 5.04 ERA) and Rob Whalen (1-2, 5.73 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a four-game series between the Arizona Diamondbacks (52-73) and the Atlanta Braves (45-80) at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks won the last game 9-8, and Arizona leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 9:40 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 23 and can be seen on FSAZ and FSSE.
Bradley pitched 4.2 innings in his last outing, surrendering five runs (one unearned), striking out two and walking three in a 9-8 defeat to the Padres. Paul Goldschmidt (.304, 81 Rs, 19 HRs, 76 RBIs, 19 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 3 for 4 with two runs, one home run, and two RBIs. Whalen went 6.0 innings, surrendering three, striking out six and walking three in an 8-2 defeat to the Nationals in his most recent start. Freddie Freeman (.291, 73 Rs, 26 HRs, 61 RBIs, 4 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Braves, going 3 for 4 yesterday with three runs, two home runs, and three RBIs.
Arizona is a -153 favorite against Atlanta and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at nine runs. The Diamondbacks have an overall money line of -2,063 and a record as the favorite of 25-25. While Arizona has performed poorly SU over its last ten outings (3-7), they’ve made up for it with an impressive 3-1 record as the favorite. The Diamondbacks are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 413. Arizona is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 100 bases. Arizona’s pitching staff has been doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 7.5 runs per game, well above its season average of 5.6.
Over in the other dugout, Atlanta is coming in with an overall money line of -959 and a disappointing record of 42-68 as the underdog. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 2-7 record and a 2-8 record SU. Offensively, the Braves have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 3.6 runs per game by averaging 4.7 during that stretch. The Braves allow 4.9 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 7.8 runs per game during that span.
The Diamondbacks have the edge in the season series, 4-0. The Diamondbacks have a bad 15-33 record at home (34-57 overall) against right-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when Whalen takes the mound. Bradley (RHP) will be on the hill against the Braves, who have a 32-52 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – ARI, O/U – Under
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Arizona is 25-38, while Atlanta is 15-30.
The Braves are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Diamondbacks have an 11-25 record when opponents give up one walk or less.
When they outhit their opponents, the Braves are 33-19. The Diamondbacks have a 39-15 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 30th, Atlanta sits at the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 459 this season. Arizona ranks in the top half at 12th with 570.
Ranking 23rd, Arizona is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 352 this season. Atlanta ranks in the bottom half at 16th with 368.
The Diamondbacks are 43-40 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Braves are 26-31 when they hit at least one homer.
