Don’t be surprised to see plenty of Ks between the Atlanta Braves (88-54) and the San Francisco Giants (68-74) at Oracle Park on Wednesday, as two strikeout-prone offenses face off against two of this season’s best K/9 pitchers with the three-game series in the balance. The Braves evened up the series 1-1 after winning 5-1 on Tuesday, their fourth head-to-head victory in six games this season. Starter Kyle Wright went 5.1 innings, giving up one run on three hits, to get the win. Travis d’Arnaud was 3 for 4 with a double and one run in the win. Joc Pederson went 1 for 2 with one RBI for the Giants.
ON THE MOUND
Charlie Morton (8-5, 4.01 ERA) is slated for the start for Atlanta. The RHP allowed four runs over 6.1 innings in his last start, a 6-4 road win over the Mariners on Friday. He was credited with the win, yielding six hits while striking out five and walking two. Morton has made one previous start against the Giants this season, a 4-3 home victory on June 22. He surrendered two runs on three hits over seven innings, striking out 11.Left-hander Carlos Rodon (12-8, 2.92 ERA) will take the mound for San Francisco. He has made one prior start against the Braves this season, giving up one runs over seven innings in a 4-3 road defeat on June 22. He gave up three hits and walked one, while striking out 10 in the no-decision. In his last start on Friday, Rodon took the loss on the road against the Cubs. He threw 5.1 innings and gave up two runs on three hits, striking out 11 and walking one in the 4-2 defeat. The lefty ranks second in the NL in strikeouts (212).
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Atlanta has averaged 4.2 runs a game, a small drop compared to their season average of 5.0. Against lefties like Rodon this season, the Braves have a .800 OPS, third highest in MLB. Austin Riley is the team’s best hitter against left-handers with a 1.187 OPS in 127 at-bats. San Francisco is averaging only 3.0 runs per game in the last five, down from 4.4 for the season, with their slash line falling across the board (.221/.282/.344). The Giants have a .689 OPS against righties in 2022. With a .736 OPS over 307 at-bats, Wilmer Flores has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Atlanta is 41-29 away from home in 2022, scoring 5.0 runs per game while allowing 4.0 runs. San Francisco has gone 38-33 at their home ballpark this season, averaging 4.5 runs per game while surrendering 4.1. In the last 10 games between the teams at Oracle Park, Atlanta is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 3.8-2.4.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Braves are second in the NL East, zero games behind the division-leading Mets. They currently occupy one of the Wild Card spots, sitting first. The Giants are third in the NL West, 30 games behind the Dodgers. They are fifth in the Wild Card race, 10 games out of a postseason position.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Atlanta Braves (-115)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our MLB hub page for all your baseball needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
