Shelby Miller (5-1, 1.33 ERA) takes the mound for the Atlanta Braves (20-21) as they meet Mike Fiers (1-4, 4.75 ERA) and the Milwaukee Brewers (16-27) in the third of a four-game series at Turner Field. The Brewers won the last game 11-0 and the series is currently tied 1-1. The game gets underway at 4:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, May. 23 and will air on FS1.
Miller has a 2.20 ERA and a 5-0 record in his career against the Brewers, and is up against a struggling Milwaukee offense that’s hitting just .229 on the year. The Brewers were unsuccessful the last time Fiers pitched. He pitched well, going, going 5.2 innings, allowing two runs, striking out three and walking one in a 3-2 loss to the Tigers. Ryan Braun (.273, 26 Rs, 11 HRs, 33 RBIs, 4 SBs) has been hitting the ball well for the Brewers, going 3 for 3 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and four RBIs.
Atlanta is a -141 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. The Braves are 6-5 as the favorite and have an overall money line of +254. The Braves have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire NL, averaging 4.3 runs per game. They typically aren’t overmatched by pitchers, leading the NL with an average of only 6.2 strikeouts per game. Atlanta’s pitching staff has put it all together in the past 10 games. Its average runs allowed per game dropped to 2.8 during that span, compared to its 4.2 season average. The Braves don’t give up many hits to opposing batters, ranking third in the NL with only 8.2 hits allowed per game.
Moving on to the away team, the Brewers come into this game with a weak win percentage of .393 when playing as the underdog (11-17) and an overall money line of -1,089.
The Braves will take on a right-hander (Fiers) in this game and have an 18-18 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Miller will take the mound against the Brewers, who have a 12-21 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – ATL, O/U – Over
Notes
Milwaukee earned its third shutout of the season in its last game. Atlanta has been shut out two times this season.
When the Brewers play into extra innings, they have a 1-1 record. The Braves are 0-1 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Brewers are coming into this meeting after a high-scoring game where they scored an impressive 11 runs. The Braves have a 0-3 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Braves are 15-6. The Brewers have an 11-2 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 18th in runs, Milwaukee has earned 167 this season. Atlanta ranks 15th with 174 runs.
Ranking 24th, Milwaukee is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 104 this season. Atlanta ranks in the bottom half at 16th with 124.
The Braves are 12-7 when they hit at least one home run. The Brewers perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 15-10 record.
