Game 2 Atlanta Braves vs. San Diego Padres odds, preview and prediction

Atlanta Braves vs. San Diego Padres Prediction:

The Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres are sending two of their most experienced pitchers to the mound in Game 2 of their National League wild-card series, where the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Max Fried starts on the mound for the Braves and although he owns a 3.25 ERA and 3.33 fielding independent this season, he hasn’t been the same pitcher in the second half.

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Fried has a 3.68 ERA in 13 starts since the start of July, with his command seeing a decline as he has averaged 3.1 walks per nine innings.

The good news is that Fried is a lefty and the Padres are hitting just .239 against lefties this season, which is 19th in the league, while their .272 average against righties leads the league.

The Braves’ bullpen has a 3.32 ERA for the season while the Padres are 11th at 3.78, but as of July 1, those bullpens are relatively even, with the Braves having a 3.54 ERA and the Padres posted an ERA of 3.55.

The Padres have the edge, ranking eighth with nearly 4.7 runs per game, while the Braves scored 4.35 (15th). San Diego ranks sixth in on-base percentage, while the Braves are 16th.

The Padres will start Joe Musgrove, who has a 3.88 ERA for the season. But he has been a different pitcher since coming off the injured list in August and has allowed two runs or fewer in seven of his nine starts since his return. He has a 2.15 ERA with 0.7 home runs and 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings over that span.

Although the Padres have struggled with left-handed pitching, they face a tired Braves bullpen. And with the Braves offense struggling, the Padres will get the win on Wednesday.

MLB Tip: San Diego Padres Moneyline (-115 at Circa)

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