There’s a distinct feeling that comes with playoff baseball: an anxious energy at the stadium and a crisp chill in the air to let you know fall is here.
There won’t be a chill in the air down in Atlanta for the Wild Card series between the Phillies and Braves.
Temperatures will be north of 80 degrees for the first pitch of Game 1, but that nervous energy will certainly be there.
These two National League East foes know each other very well and meet in the postseason for the third time in five seasons.
Oddsmakers give the Braves a decided edge in Game 1, pricing Atlanta as a -206 favorite
In the series, the Braves are -125 favorites to advance past the Wild Card Round, which would be their first playoff series win against the Phillies in their franchise’s history.
Phillies vs. Braves Game 1 prediction, best bet
The Phillies did their best to make the final game of the regular season as interesting as possible.
They lost four straight in the final stretch and were nearly overtaken by the Diamondbacks who got red-hot down the stretch.
In the end, the Phillies got in after their offense finally woke up in Game 162 and beat the Rays 7-2.
But the late-season tailspin had its costs. Instead of resting their players they had to play every game as if it mattered.
The Phillies pitched Aaron Nola Saturday night on short rest trying to clinch a playoff spot and it backfired — he gave up three earned runs in the first inning.
They had to turn to Zach Wheeler on Sunday, which means Jesus Luzardo will start Game 1 of the series as the opener, followed by rookie Andrew Painter out of the bullpen.
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Luzardo has been awesome this season but pitched for the first time Sunday after being sidelined for three weeks with shoulder inflammation. Asking a pitcher coming off an injury and a rookie making his playoff debut to go head-to-head with Chris Sale, who is having one of his best seasons in an illustrious career, is a tall order.
The Phillies have been incredibly streaky over the second half of the season and their offense ranked 27th in runs scored over their last 15 games — a point at which the team should have been rounding into form.
There are too many ifs in play for the Phillies in Game 1 and in the series.
Instead of betting the juiced moneyline for Game 1, I’ll bet the combo of Braves in Game 1 and the series.
The Pick: Braves win Game 1 and series (+105, DraftKings)
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Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
