MLB Betting: The Atlanta Braves are road favorites on Saturday as they visit the Texas Rangers. The Braves will be a popular choice for bettors in this game that can be seen regionally on FOX. The Braves are very much in the National League Wild Card race while the Rangers are simply playing out the string. This is a game that the Braves can’t afford to lose. They will have the pitching edge with Julio Teheran going against Scott Baker. Here is a look at the matchup and MLB predictions.
Probable Pitchers – Teheran vs. Baker
Julio Teheran comes into this game at 13-11 with a 3.00 ERA. He hasn’t gotten much run support this season as his overall record is just barely above .500. He has a 1-2 record in his last three starts even though his ERA is not that bad at 3.44.
Scott Baker was picked up off the scrap heap and has pitched pretty well for the Rangers. He is 3-4 on the season with a 5.52 ERA but he is 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA in his last three starts and six relief appearances. This will be his 8th start of the season. In his last three starts he is 2-1 with a 4.60 ERA. He has pitched just four innings in his career against the Braves with an 11.25 ERA.
Game Notes
The Texas Rangers have actually won six of the last ten meetings in his series but before Friday’s game the teams had not met since 2011. They had not played in Texas since 2008 when the Rangers won two of three. The Braves have not been a great road team this season but they are facing a Texas team that has been terrible at home this season. The Rangers were 25-43 in their first 68 home games. They basically have Adrian Beltre and not much else.
MLB Predictions
There is no reason to think that the Rangers will win this one so we’ll go with the Braves to get this win on Saturday.
