Atlanta Braves (62-56) vs. San Francisco Giants (61-60)
The 2024 Major League Baseball season continues on Wednesday, August 14, as the Atlanta Braves face off against the San Francisco Giants in a National League showdown at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The game is set to begin at 9:45 PM ET.
As the teams meet for the third time in a four-game series, the Braves claimed victory in the opener with a score of 1-0. The outcome of the second game remains outside this analysis.
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Atlanta Braves Holding onto the Final Wild Card Spot
The Atlanta Braves kicked off a challenging ten-game road trip last Friday, enduring a narrow 6-5 loss to the Colorado Rockies. This defeat marked their sixth consecutive loss, during which they allowed a staggering 50 runs. Atlanta bounced back to defeat Colorado 11-8 in the second game of the series, only to lose the rubber match 9-8.
Following their victory at Oracle Park on Monday, the Braves improved their record to 62-56. Chris Sale dominated the mound, striking out 12 batters across seven scoreless innings. As of Tuesday morning, Atlanta held the final wild-card position, leading the New York Mets by just one game.
Grant Holmes is expected to be the starting pitcher on Wednesday. The 28-year-old rookie right-hander has yet to earn a decision this season, showcasing a 3.79 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over three starts and ten relief appearances, totaling 41 innings pitched. His last outing saw him struggle, giving up five earned runs on six hits and three walks in five innings against the Rockies.
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San Francisco Giants Pursuing the Braves
The San Francisco Giants fell to a 61-60 record following their loss to the Braves on Monday. This defeat marked their second consecutive loss, halting a four-game winning streak that ended with a 5-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers at home on Sunday. As of Tuesday morning, the Giants trailed the Braves by 2.5 games in the wild-card race.
Recently, the Giants have struggled offensively, posting a .210/.286/.322 slash line with eight doubles, three triples, and three home runs over the last week and 205 at-bats. However, their bullpen has excelled in this period, pitching 27.2 innings with a solid 2.60 ERA and a .223 batting average against.
Robbie Ray is slated to pitch on Wednesday. The 32-year-old left-hander has a 2-1 record with a 3.98 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across four starts this season, totaling 20.1 innings pitched. Ray has shown improvement since returning from Tommy John surgery, recently pitching six innings while allowing two runs and five hits in a no-decision against the Tigers.
Key Betting Insights for Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants
Grant Holmes is set to face the Giants for the second time this season. In their previous encounter on July 4, he pitched 2.2 scoreless innings in relief, allowing just one hit and one walk, although the Giants ultimately defeated the Braves 4-2. On the flip side, Robbie Ray has not faced the Braves since 2022 and holds a 1-3 record with a 4.85 ERA in seven career starts against Atlanta. Current Braves players have collectively batted 25-for-97 against Ray, including seven doubles and three home runs.
As mentioned earlier, the Giants have had difficulty finding their rhythm at the plate recently. Their .664 OPS and 88 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers in the past ten days contrast sharply with the Braves’ 109 wRC+ and .756 OPS against lefties during the same timeframe.
Despite this, there are concerns regarding Holmes’ ability to pitch deep into the game. The Braves have been winless in his last six appearances, with three of those being starts. Furthermore, the Braves bullpen has struggled with an alarming 8.68 ERA, 2.18 WHIP, and a .360 batting average against over the past week and 28 innings pitched.
