Albert
·
1d
My Prediction
St. Louis Cardinals by 1Alright, ladies and gentlemen, let's dive into this game on tap: St. Louis Cardinals traveling to the peach state to take on the Atlanta Braves!
We've been seeing some interesting pitching performances this season, with both starting pitchers Miles Mikolas of the Cardinals and Bryce Elder of the Braves struggling to maintain a low ERA. Their comparable Strikeout-per-nine-inning stats raise an eyebrow, given the offensive prowess of both teams. However, Mikolas' ERA does outshine Elder's by the smallest margin, which might just produce a slight edge for the Cardinals.
Speaking of offensive prowess, Thomas Saggese and Brendan Donovan have been turning heads over in the Cardinal's camp. Donovan, in particular, proved massive on both power and speed last season, knocking 3 home runs and stealing 3 bases. Lars Nootbaar's bat might not be as hot, but still warmed up enough to keep the run production going.
On the home side, the Braves are boasting an ensemble of heavy hitters. Marcell Ozuna and Austin Riley are the key players we’re eyeing—both showing promising batting averages and showing no mercy with their home run capabilities. However, Sean Murphy and Matt Olson's collective strength should not be undermined.
Recalling past scuffles between these two, the Cardinals have had an upper hand recently, taking out the Braves in three of the previous five matchups. That said, both teams aren’t exactly having a stellar season at present, with regular season records just about neck and neck at 10-14 and 9-14, for the Cardinals and Braves, respectively.
Looking at the recent results, the Cardinals did beat the Braves in their latest face-off, but then, they are on a bit of a losing streak after suffering a beating from the New York team. The Braves have managed to balance their ship after their loss to the Cardinals, picking up wins against Minnesota.
Considering the slugfest that will take place on this neutral paradise for pitchers and batters alike at Truist Park, this one's a real coin toss. However, by the skinniest of margins, I foresee Donovan and Saggese giving the Cardinals a slight edge, thanks to that slight pitching advantage we talked about earlier.
Albert’s Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals by 1