Atlanta Braves vs Boston Red Sox 05/26/2021 MLB Odds, Preview, and Pick

The Atlanta Braves will take on the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night in the finale of their current two-game set at Fenway Park.

Atlanta defeated Boston 3-1 in Game 1 of the series and the Braves are looking for their fourth consecutive victory. Meanwhile, the Red Sox look to get back on track after their four-game winning streak was ended by the Braves.

These teams have split their last four meetings but the Braves have won the last five meetings in Boston.

Atlanta Braves

The Braves are playing well right now as they have won four out of their last five games played. At 24-24, Atlanta is 2nd in the National League East. If they beat the Red Sox on Wednesday, the Braves will force a tie with the New York Yankees for the top spot in their division.

Austin Riley leads Atlanta with a batting average of .312 and 49 hits this season with 21 RBIs and 9 home runs. Ronald Acuna leads the Braves with 32 RBIs and 15 homers on the season while Freddie Freeman has 12 dingers and 29 RBIs. Marcel Ozuna has also contributed 26 RBIs for Atlanta.

The Braves are scoring 4.96 runs per game this season. They rank 4th in the league with a .236 batting average while they are also 12th in OBP at .316. Atlanta is second overall in slugging at .442.

Atlanta’s pitching hasn’t been as good as their offense with their ERA of 4.26 ranked just 18th in the league. The Braves rank 23rd in WHIP at 1.36 while they are allowing opposing batters to hit .250 which is 22nd overall.

Left-hander Drew Smyly will open on top of the mound for Atlanta on Wednesday. The 31- year old has started in a total of 7 games this season and has a 2-2 record with an ERA of 5.11 and a WHIP of 1.32. Smyly has pitched in 37 total innings and has allowed 26 runs off 36 hits with 11 home runs, 13 walks, and 33 strikeouts.

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox are also on a roll right now with six wins in their last nine games played. Boston is 29-20 on the season and they are currently just one-half game behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East team standings. A win over the Braves here would allow the Red Sox to reclaim their divisional lead.

Xander Bogaerts leads Boston with a batting average of .343 and an OBP of .399. He also leads the team with 60 hits while producing 30 RBIs and 10 home runs. Rafel Devers leads the team with 13 homers and 40 RBIs on the season. Meanwhile, J.D. Martinez is also having a fine start with 12 home runs and 37 RBIs for Boston.

Boston is one of the best offensive teams in the league and they score an average of 5.19 runs per game. The Red Sox rank second in the league in batting at .263 and they lead the majors in slugging percentage at .450. Boston is also 7th overall in OBP at .324 on the season.

The Red Sox pitching staff ranks in the bottom half of the association. They are 19th in opponents’ batting average at .247, and 18th in WHIP at 1.32. Boston however is 13th in ERA at 3.91.

Nick Pivetta will start for the Red Sox on Wednesday. The 28-year old right-hander has 9 total starts this season and has a record of 5-0 with an ERA of 3.59 and a WHIP of 1.24. Pivetta has pitched in a total of 47.2 innings and has allowed 20 runs on 35 hits with only three home runs, 24 walks, and 50 strikeouts.

Who Wins?

The Braves are 4-1 in their last five games played. Atlanta is 5-1 in their last six road games, 4-1 in their last five games played on grass, 36-17 in their last 53 Wednesday games, and 5-2 in their last seven games when the total is set between 9-10.5.

The Red Sox are 4-2 in their last six games played Boston is 6-2 in their last eight games played against the National League, 4-1 in their last five Game 2s of a series, 7-3 in their last 10 games against an opponent with a losing record, 52-23 in their last 75 Wednesday games, and 120-56 in their last 176 interleague home games.

Boston has win eight out of their last nine games with Pivetta on the mound. Atlanta doesn’t hit the ball well when away from home and they have dropped seven of eight games against the AL East. I’ll take my chance with the Red Sox here.

Prediction: Boston Red Sox

The total has gone under in Atlanta’s last four interleague road games against a right-handed starter. The under is 5-1-1 in their last seven interleague games against an opponent with a winning record, 7-3 in their last 10 Game 2s of a series, and 5-2 in their last seven road games played.

The under is 4-1-1 in the Red Sox’s last six home games. The total has gone under in four out of Boston’s last six games against an opponent from the National League East Division. The under is also 5-2 in their last seven games against an opponent with a losing record, and 7-3-1 in their last 11 games when the total is set between 9-10.5.

Boston has played better defensively when on the road than when at home this season. But their bullpen has shown up when needed. Nick Pivetta should give the Braves problems. Pivetta has now allowed more than four runs this season and prior to his run-in with Toronto, he had not allowed more than three earned runs in his last six assignments. Solid Boston pitching and defense will help the score go under.

Prediction: Under 10

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