Mets vs. Braves Betting (July 11): Expect Few Runs in Scherzer vs. Fried Duel

The 2022 MLB All-Star Break is around the corner as we near the end of the first half of the season. However, there are still several games left to play leading up to this weekend’s festivities, including Monday’s matchup between the New York Mets (53-33) and Atlanta Braves (52-35).

The Mets have led the NL East for the majority of the 2022 campaign, however, their lead has slipped to just 1.5 games. They enter this matchup after losing two of their last three games, so they’ll need a strong effort tonight if they want to increase their divisional lead again.

Meanwhile, the Braves have been the hottest team in the Majors since the beginning of June, showing no signs of slowing down. Atlanta is 10-3 in its last 13 contests and will bring with them the momentum of a three-game winning streak.

The Mets will be starting Max Scherzer, who looked fantastic in his return from injury last week, while the Braves will counter with their own ace in Max Fried.

Here’s a look at BetOnline Sportsbook’s odds, along with the best bets to make, ahead of today’s Mets vs. Braves matchup.

New York Mets vs. Atlanta Braves Betting Odds and Matchup Information

Matchup Information

• Matchup: New York Mets (53-33, 25-18 road, 1st in the NL East) vs. Atlanta Braves 52-35, 30-18, 2nd in the NL East)
• Venue & Location: Truist Park (Atlanta, Georgia)
• Date: Monday, July 11, 2022
• Time: 7:20 p.m. Eastern Time
• How to Watch Today’s Mets vs. Braves Game: MLB.TV, MLB Extra Innings, FS1

Mets vs. Braves Pitching Matchup

• New York Mets: Max Scherzer (2022: 9 starts, 5-1, 2.26 ERA)
• Atlanta Braves: Max Fried (2022: 17 starts, 9-2, 2.52 ERA)

Mets vs. Braves Odds

Odds are via BetOnline. Odds from our other top reviewed and recommended online sportsbooks may also be included in this article.

Moneyline

• New York Mets +108
• Atlanta Braves -126

Over/Under

• OVER 7 (-106)
• UNDER 7 (-114)

Run Line

• New York Mets +1.5 (-194)
• Atlanta Braves -1.5 (+160)

Fans Prepare for Mets vs. Braves Pitching Duel

The Mets and Braves are two of the best teams in all of baseball and it’d be far from shocking if either of them represented the National League in the World Series this fall. A big part of both teams’ success has been their pitching.

Atlanta’s 3.57 ERA ranks fifth-best in Major League Baseball, while New York’s 3.76 ERA also cracks the top 10, coming in at ninth. In other words, fans shouldn’t expect any fireworks, especially with Scherzer and Fried poised for a pitching duel at Truist Park.

On one hand, you have a three-time Cy Young winner in Scherzer. The 37-year-old opened the season looking like he had his sights set on his fourth award, but an oblique injury put his season on pause.

Fortunately, Scherzer hasn’t lost a step. He faced the Cincinnati Reds in his return last week and even though he didn’t get the decision in the 1-0 loss, he still pitched six innings, giving up just two hits while striking out 11 batters. He’s now 5-1 in nine starts this season, recording a 2.26 ERA and 0.880 WHIP while striking out 11.3 batters per nine innings.

It’s going to be tough for the Braves to score runs against Scherzer. That’s why it’ll be important for Fried to be at the top of his game every time he takes the mound.

The two-time Gold Glove winner has improved over his performance last year, looking like the pitcher that finished fifth in 2020 NL Cy Young voting. In addition to an impressive 9-2 record and 2.52 ERA, he’s only giving up 0.5 home runs and 1.4 walks per nine innings.

The Braves have also rarely lost lately whenever Fried starts a game. The 28-year-old hasn’t been credited with a loss since April 13 and Atlanta has won each of his last nine starts. Tough he was only credited with five wins over that stretch, it still shows how much better the Braves play when he’s in a game.

Furthermore, Fried has given up either one or zero runs in six of his last eight starts, further emphasizing how difficult it will be to score runs on Monday.

If both Scherzer and Fried live up to the hype, the game could come down to which hurler makes the first mistake.

Betting Trends for Mets vs. Braves

• The Mets are 10-5 straight up in their last 15 games against NL teams.
• Atlanta is 4-1 straight up in its last five home games against the Mets.
• The total has hit the over in four of the Mets’ last six road games.
• The total has hit the under in nine of Atlanta’s last 10 home games.

New York Mets vs. Atlanta Braves Prediction and Best Bets

Mets vs. Braves Prediction: Mets to win

Mets vs. Braves Best Bets: Mets ML (-126 at BetOnline) & Under 7 (-114 at BetOnline)

The Mets and Braves previously split a four-game series evenly earlier this season, so there’s no doubt that Monday’s matchup is as close as it gets. Having said that, Atlanta is the hotter team while New York looked less than spectacular against the Marlins over the weekend.

As for the best bet, I’m taking the Mets on the moneyline, as well as the total hitting the under. Runs are hard to come by at Truist Park and the aforementioned pitching duel should help prevent things from getting out of hand.