Phillies vs Braves NLDS Game 2 Prediction & Best Bets: Will Atlanta’s Bats Wake Up to Back Fried?

During the MLB regular season, the Atlanta Braves beat up on many a pitcher on the way to a sixth straight NL East title and MLB’s best record. But in Saturday’s NLDS opener against the Philadelphia Phillies, their big bats went missing as they were blanked 3-0.

It was just the third time all season that the Braves had been blanked, and it was the first time it occurred at Truist Park since August 28, 2021, when they lost 5-0 to the San Francisco Giants.

Will Atlanta bounce back to even the series tonight, or will the Phillies move within a win of booting the Braves from the postseason for a second straight year?

With Max Fried on the hill, the Braves are favored to get the job done, but Atlanta-area native Zack Wheeler has a strong record at Truist Park over the last couple of seasons.

Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves Game 2 Odds

Odds are via Bovada as of 11:00 am ET Monday, October 9, 2023.

Moneyline

• Philadelphia Phillies +141
• Atlanta Braves -170

Over/Under

• Over 8 (-105)
• Under 8 (-115)

Run Line

• Philadelphia Phillies +1.5 (-150)
• Atlanta Braves -1.5 (+130)

Throughout his MLB career, Fried has been better against better teams than he has against weaker teams.

• vs teams below .500 (68 appearances – 57 starts): 30-14, 3.25 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 8.5 K/9
• vs teams at or above .500 (71 appearances – 65 starts): 32-12, 2.83 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 9.1 K/9

Fried was limited to only 14 starts in the regular season due to multiple stints on the IL, but when he was on the mound, he was strong more often than not, as he allowed two or fewer runs in ten of his starts. It is worth noting, however, that only two of those times came in his five home starts.

Still, you have to expect him to come out with a solid effort based on his overall body of work this season.

But will it be enough to lift the Braves to a series-tying win against the Phillies? Atlanta’s bats have not had an easy time of it against Wheeler recently.

For much of his career, Wheeler wasn’t very good in Atlanta. But since the start of last season, he is 4-1 with a 1.87 ERA in his last five starts at Truist Park.

Of the seven runs he surrendered in those five starts, three came in the sixth inning of Game 2 in last year’s NLDS matchup, resulting in the only loss in this stretch.

Are we in for a pitchers’ duel tonight then? In the regular season, eight or more runs were scored in nine of the 13 meetings between the Phillies and Braves, including six of seven contests at Truist Park.

Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves Prediction and Best Bets

Prediction: Braves to win

Best Bets: Phillies/Braves over 8 (-115 at Bovada) & Braves team total over 4.5 runs (+100 at Bovada)

In the regular season, the Braves were 33-25 (.569) in games following a loss, but they were just 10-11 in games following a loss in which they were held to two or fewer runs.

So, I’m doing the wise thing and staying away from any ML or RL bets. But I do like their team total and the overall game total, as most of the 21 games mentioned in the preceding paragraph went over 8 runs, with frequent contributions to those efforts by the Braves.

Where to Bet on the MLB Playoffs

Many top online sportsbooks offer a wide variety of MLB odds throughout the season.

In addition to being able to make daily MLB picks on games from Opening Day until the final game of the Fall Classic, you can also bet on MLB MVP odds, Cy Young Award odds, and MLB Rookie of the Year odds, as well as World Series odds.

Tre many sportsbooks out there that are good for MLB betting, but here are some of the books that we have reviewed and highly recommend:

• BetOnline
• BetUS
• Bookmaker
• Bovada
• MyBookie
• Sportsbetting.ag

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.