Free MLB Picks Today: Oakland Athletics vs Atlanta Braves 9/6/22

The Atlanta Braves (84-51) take one of the best offenses in the league on the road to face the Oakland Athletics (50-85) at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Tuesday to open a two-game Interleague series. The Braves are playing their first of eight games on the road after wrapping up a successful six-game homestand (5-1). They are coming off a three-game sweep of the Marlins, taking the finale 7-1 on Sunday at Truist Park for their fifth straight win. Marcell Ozuna was 1 for 2 with a solo home run. Matt Olson added two runs on three walks. The Athletics are back home for a six-game homestand after returning from a difficult six-game road trip (2-4). They lost two of three against the Orioles in their last series, taking the finale 5-0 on Sunday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Seth Brown went 3 for 4 with two home runs and three runs.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Braves have won all two games this season between the teams, including a 13-2 victory in their most recent meeting on June 8 at Truist Park. Ian Anderson went six innings to get the win, giving up two runs on six hits.

ON THE MOUND

Kyle Wright (17-5, 2.99 ERA) is set to take the mound for Atlanta. The right-hander is tied for the MLB lead in wins. Wright threw seven scoreless innings in his last start, a 3-2 road win over the Rockies on Wednesday. He got the win, yielding five hits while striking out six and walking two. Wright has made one previous start against the Athletics this season, a 3-2 home victory on June 7. He surrendered two runs on five hits over eight innings, striking out seven. Southpaw Cole Irvin (7-11, 3.35 ERA) will toe the rubber for Oakland. He has made one prior start against the Braves this season, giving up two runs over 5.1 innings in a 3-2 road defeat on June 7. He gave up seven hits and walked one, while striking out six in the no-decision. In his last start on August 30, Irvin got the win on the road against the Nationals. He threw 5.1 innings and gave up five runs on nine hits, striking out six and walking one in the 10-6 triumph.

AT THE PLATE

The Atlanta offense is averaging 4.9 runs per game for the season, second best in MLB, with a slash line of .253/.318/.445. Austin Riley leads the team in OPS at .923. The third baseman is slashing .287/.357/.566 with 35 home runs, 88 RBIs, and 79 runs over 133 games. Against lefties like Irvin this season, the Braves have ann .803 OPS, second highest in MLB. Riley also is the team’s best hitter against left-handers with a 1.212 OPS in 118 at-bats. Oakland is slashing .217/.281/.344 for the season and averaging 3.4 runs per game, second lowest in MLB. Sean Murphy leads the team with a .773 OPS. The catcher has 17 home runs, 59 RBIs, and 55 runs scored with a slash line of .254/.333/.440. The A’s have a .622 OPS against righties in 2022, second lowest in the league. With a .760 OPS over 342 at-bats, Brown has been their best hitter against right-handers.

HOME AND AWAY

Atlanta is 37-26 in away games in 2022, scoring 4.9 runs per game while allowing 4.0 runs. Oakland has gone 22-44 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum this season, averaging 2.8 runs per game while surrendering 4.7. In six games between the teams at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Atlanta is 5-1 with an average scoreline of 4.8-3.2.

STANDINGS UPDATE

The Braves are second in the NL East, one games behind the division-leading Mets. They currently occupy one of the Wild Card spots, sitting first. The Athletics are fifth in the AL West, 36 games behind the Astros.