Henry Roldán
Two of the top contenders for this season’s Major League Baseball World Series, representing the National League, kick off a four-game series on Thursday when the Padres vs Braves takes place in Atlanta.
San Diego is coming off a home loss to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, falling 8-6. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Atlanta completed a great sweep in St. Louis, beating the Cardinals 5-1.
Without further ado, at JefeBet, we bring you the best preview for the first game of a four-game series: the San Diego Padres vs Atlanta Braves.
Predictions and Betting Preview for the Padres vs Braves MLB Regular Season Game on April 6, 2023
- Where: Truist Park, Atlanta, Georgia
- When: Thursday, April 6, 2023, 7:20 PM ET
Betting on the San Diego Padres
- Regular Season Record: 3-3
In these early stages, the Padres haven’t shown the resilience that was expected of a favorite team, and to their dismay, they kick off a not-so-friendly series on Thursday in an attempt to change their situation.
San Diego’s offense, which was supposed to be the heart and soul of this team, had trouble getting started in the first two games of the year against the Rockies. However, they showed some potential by scoring at least five runs in three of the last four games.
The main man responsible for this production is the newcomer to the organization, Xander Bogaerts. He has already hit three home runs and seven RBIs with an average of .409. Impressive numbers that still require the support of Manny Machado and Juan Soto, who seem to be struggling to get into their groove.
While the offense tries to stay positive, it hasn’t been backed up by an ineffective pitching staff, especially in the bullpen, where they have the fifth-worst ERA in the league at 5.95. Overall, the Padres’ pitching started the season with a not-so-encouraging ERA of 4.62, which is not ideal when facing a powerful Braves offense.
With the mission of improving their ERA, Bob Melvin will send Blake Snell to the mound to start the first game of the series.
The experienced lefty was the Padres’ Opening Day starter and allowed three runs with six hits in 4.1 innings of work against Colorado. This will be his second start against Atlanta, with the first being in 2018 while wearing a Rays uniform. He took the loss despite pitching 6.1 innings of just four hits and one run.
Starting Pitcher: Blake Snell (0-1, 6.23 ERA)
Betting on the Atlanta Braves
- Regular Season Record: 4-1
The Braves have started the season on fire with five wins and only one loss in their first two road series, including a sweep of the powerful Cardinals at home.
Now, for the first time in 2023, Atlanta’s team must show their home crowd why they are a top contender for the World Series title as they face a potential direct rival on the bumpy road ahead.
Things have been going well for Brian Snitker’s squad so far. Their pitching has been one of the most effective in the first week, while their offense has been producing timely and long-range hits.
Collectively, the Braves’ pitchers have a 2.45 ERA by not allowing more than four runs in any of the first six games of the season. They scored 27 runs and are seventh in SLG with .474, with nine home runs.
To maintain this momentum, Snitker will send one of his best arms, the young Spencer Strider, to the mound. In his first start of the season, he shut down the Nationals, working six scoreless innings with only three hits, three walks, and nine strikeouts.
This will be the third time the right-hander faces San Diego, but it will be his first time as a starter. Previously, he worked for 4.1 innings with an ERA of 3.86.
Starting Pitcher: Spencer Strider (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
JefeBet Prediction
There’s no doubt that this series will be one of the most exciting this weekend in the Major Leagues, but the Braves should take this first game.
In their first clash at Truist Park, they’ll have Strider, second in last season’s National Rookie of the Year voting, who was unbeatable against the Nationals.
Of course, the Padres’ offense isn’t like Washington’s, but San Diego hasn’t started their journey very well in 2023, and they’ll face a pitcher who last season had a record of 6-1 and a 2.17 ERA in 70.2 innings at home.
On the other side is Snell, a lefty who struggles a lot with his control and has a career ERA of 4.20 in 81 starts as a visitor.
However, we must highlight that in their last five visits to Atlanta, the Padres have won four of those games, and in 2022, they won the head-to-head series 4-3.
Prediction: The Braves win (SD 3 – ATL 5)
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