SAN FRANCISCO @ ATLANTA (ATL -200, 8)
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GIANTS VS. BRAVES 7/3/24
Game 2 of the three-game series between the San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves takes place in Atlanta tonight. The Giants are fighting for second place in the NL West Division behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves have the best record of any wild card team in the National League and are currently in second place in the NL East. Tonight, veteran lefty Chris Sale (10-3, 2.79) of the Braves will oppose righty Jordan Hicks (4-4, 3.36) of the Giants.
The San Francisco Giants are headed back on the road following a homestand that saw them go 5-2 and push them closer to .500. The Giants started the weekend with a three-game sweep of the Cubs and then won two of the three games against the Dodgers. The Giants defeated the Braves 5-3 in the opening game of this series. In just his second career start, rookie Hayden Birdsong gave up two runs in the first two innings of the game before settling in to pitch three more scoreless innings, helping the Giants overcome a 2-0 deficit to win.
Hicks gets the start tonight for San Francisco. He is currently in the midst of switching from closer to starter for the Giants in 2024. Hicks has a 3.36 ERA and 1.28 WHIP on the year, and he is 4-4 overall. In his first 17 games of the season, he has already made three quality starts. In 85.2 innings pitched, Hicks has given up 77 hits, including nine home runs. This season, he has 76 strikeouts and 33 walks. Hicks gave up five hits and three runs in five innings during his previous outing, which resulted in a 5-3 loss for the Giants against the Cubs.
Despite facing setbacks and slumps from important players during the first half of the season, the Atlanta Braves are once again in a strong position to secure a National League playoff spot. Over the weekend, the Braves defeated the Pirates in two of their three home games. The Braves took a 2-0 lead last night against the Giants thanks to solo home runs from Aaron Riley and Sean Murphy but still ended up losing.
The Braves will give the ball to Sale, the veteran left-hander. After multiple seasons marred by injuries while playing for the Red Sox, Sale has had an incredible comeback season with the Braves. With a 2.79 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP on the year, he has a record of 10-3. Sale has 118 strikeouts and just 17 walks. He has recorded nine quality starts.
FREE PICK: GIANTS-BRAVES F5 UNDER 4.5
Both Hicks and Sale limit runs. Hicks has a 3.36 ERA and Sale checks in at 2.79. In the last four games Hicks has started, the F5 Under has cashed. For Sale, he’s held his last four opponents to two or fewer earned runs. The F5 Under went 2-2 in those games primarily because of Atlanta’s bats. I don’t expect the Braves to jump on Hicks early. The Under has cashed in 5 of the Braves last 6 games and 6 of the last 7 at home. For the season, the F5 Under is 32-44-6 in Braves’ games.
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