Boston Red Sox vs. Atlanta Braves Betting Preview

The Boston Red Sox will travel south and begin a quick two-game set with the Atlanta Braves this Tuesday evening from Truist Park on TBS.

Atlanta comes into this game as the favorites, with the total opening at 7.5. Red Sox manager Alex Cora will send Garrett Whitlock (0-1, 1.50 ERA) to the mound for the Red Sox, while Braves skipper Brian Snitker will start Kyle Wright (3-1, 1.74 ERA).

The Red Sox won three of four meetings last season, sweeping the Braves in Atlanta in their most recent set. Boston covered in all three wins, and six of the last seven meetings overall, with the over hitting in all six of those occasions. 

Key injuries

There are no glaring injuries for either side coming into this one.

Why Red Sox can win

The Red Sox simply need their swagger back and a trip to Atlanta could be just what this team needs to shake it. They did manage to cover Sunday, but a sixth straight loss wouldn’t be ideal so early in the season

Boston currently sits in the cellar of the AL East with their struggles at the plate becoming more and more alarming. After only mustering five runs in three losses to the White Sox at home over the weekend, the Red Sox have to find production beyond Xander Bogaerts,Rafael Devers, and JD Martinez, who is currently riding an eleven-game hit streak.

Garrett Whitlock (1-1, 1.25) will get the ball for Boston. The second-year pitcher has been a bright spot for the Red Sox this season, bringing a lot of versatility to the rotation. Whitlock’s coming off of his best start of the season in which he tossed a personal-best nine strikeouts over five innings. 

Why Braves can win

Atlanta gets to face a slumping Red Sox team at home with one of their best pitchers taking the mound. The Braves clobbered the Brewers over the weekend, just four days after beating the Mets by the same margin at Citi Field. Atlanta is performing at a much higher level right now, and they should get the job done.

The return of Ronald Acuna Jr. has given the Braves an injection of life since returning on April 28th. He’s hits in eight of his first nine games, and multiple hits in each of the last two.

Kyle Wright (3-1, 1.74) will get the home start for the defending champions this evening. The fifth-year pitcher has been pretty impressive this season, despite taking his first loss on the road last week. Prior to that outing, Wright fanned eight or more hitters in each of his previous three starts. He has the perfect opportunity to rebound here against an underperforming lineup at home.

The Pick: Atlanta Braves RL (+150)

Boston can’t seem to figure things out while Atlanta is getting production from all over the lineup. The Red Sox are inevitably going to shake this soon, but with Wright headed to mound, and this Braves lineup clicking, I like them a lot this evening.