This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
MLB Best Bets Today: San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves
It's a full slate Monday on the MLB diamond with a handful of stud arms going. The game I'm most interested in features a Cy Young front-runner. Let's take a look.
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Atlanta Braves (-115) @ San Francisco Giants (-105) | Total: 6.5 Runs (BetMGM)
This matchup features two teams that have claimed at least one World Series title in the last decade. Atlanta and San Fran have been two of the stronger National League teams over the last few seasons. Both are fighting for one of three coveted Wild Card spots. Though we still have about seven weeks to go until the playoff field is decided, we're getting down to crunch time where these wins mean a little bit more. The Braves are a slight favorite on the road in a game that features an incredibly low total headlined by two stud lefties.
For as much talent as Chris Sale has, it's peculiar he was never able to win a Cy Young award. He had some great years in Chicago but was cut short thanks to an abundance of injuries. After four straight seasons (2019-2023) of either injury or ineffectiveness, it seemed like Sale's career was over. But Atlanta took a flier on the once-promising 35-year-old southpaw, and it's like looking in a time machine. Sale is delivering a renaissance season and leading the charge as the favorite in the National League for his first Cy Young season for the Braves. Quite a story indeed.
With Atlanta in a bit of a free fall losing seven of their last eight games, this is where they need Sale to step up once again. A big positive for him this year has been his home/road splits where the numbers have been extremely close, rendering him effective no matter where he pitches (2.70 ERA, .203 opponents' batting average away). Even facing a Giants team he dotted in early July (six innings, one earned run, nine strikeouts), tonight could be a tough spot for him out west.
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San Fran has been red-hot lately, winning 12 of their last 16 contests. They haven't lost a series since their four-game set with the Dodgers a few weeks ago. Despite facing Chris Sale, this team has been finding ways to win with Matt Chapman and new addition Jorge Soler. Opposing Sale is the two-time Cy Young winner and fellow renaissance man himself, Blake Snell. Though Snell's fall-off wasn't as exaggerated as Sale's, there was a question if we would ever see anything close to the guy who was dominant in Tampa. Though the reigning National League Cy winner is on a new team and got a late start to the year, he's been dialed in as of late. Since the start of July, Snellzilla has only allowed five earned runs in 39 innings across six starts. His full-season numbers are misleading, but if you go by what he's done since July, there aren't too many better pitchers in the MLB.
Of course, this is a close call. The under is enticing, but I like the side with the home team. Snell and the Giants are both hot and trending in the right direction. As a big Hunter Greene backer in the National League, I can only hope Sale gets lit up tonight, but that aside, I think the wrong team is favored here.
BEST MLB BET TODAY
Giants ML -105 (BetMGM)
