Rangers vs. Braves Pick
Are the host Atlanta Braves equipped to down the Texas Rangers in the series opener Monday night at 7:35PM EST?
The Braves are -110 to win on the moneyline according to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, while the Rangers are also set at -110. The over-under is 9.5.
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Andrew Cashner (8-9, 3.30 ERA) gets the start for Texas, while Atlanta goes with R.A. Dickey (9-8, 3.91). Cashner has a 1.29 WHIP with 69 strikeouts over 133 2/3 innings. He was fantastic in his last start, giving up one earned run on three hits with six strikeouts and no walks as the Rangers defeated the Astros 8-1 in Tampa Bay. He has a 4.13 ERA in 12 road starts. The 42-year-old Dickey carries a 1.37 WHIP with 120 strikeouts in 161 innings. He allowed one earned run on seven hits with nine strikeouts and a walk over eight innings in a 9-1 win at the Phillies his last start.
Texas comes in at 68-68 and is 31-38 on the road, while Atlanta is 60-75 and 29-36 at home. The two teams have not met since 2014 when the Rangers swept a three-game series in Arlington.
Over the weekend, Texas won two out of three at home over the Angels including a 7-6 victory Sunday. Elvis Andrus led the way with a pair of home runs and three RBIs. Delino DeShields was 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs and a walk. Joey Gallo went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run. Robinson Chirinos finished 2-for-3 with a home run a walk and two RBIs. Martin Perez surrendered three earned runs over six innings to get the win. Tony Barnette picked up the save. The Braves won 5-1 at the Cubs Sunday after dropping the first three games of the series. Max Fried threw five innings of one-run ball to earn the win. Rio Ruiz was 2-for-4 with three RBIs to key the offense. Dansby Swanson went 2-for-3 with a run, an RBI and a walk. Nick Markakis was 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs. Freddie Freeman finished 2-for-4 with a double and a run.
Cashner is having a strangely good season, but is relying on a lot of BABIP luck to get him by. A lot of hard-hit balls are being hit right at defenders. That can only last for so long. The Braves are coming off a good win and the Rangers tend to struggle on the road. Dickey is reliable and coming off a fantastic start. Take the hosts in this one.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: ATLANTA BRAVES -110