Any casual observer of baseball odds action can tell you that the Atlanta Braves are in trouble. Everyone is talking about the collapse of the San Diego Padres in the NL West but the Braves’ collapse has been nearly as devastating and breathtaking to witness.
After jumping out to an early lead in the NL East this spring the Braves have had a strangle hold on the division. After prying Philly’s grip off the top spot in the NL East, something the Phillies have held tightly for the past three baseball betting odds seasons the Braves looked like they would send long-times skipper Bobby Cox in to retirement in style.
But it’s late September and the Braves (83-64) now find themselves trailing their Philly (86-61) nemesis by 3.0 games. Worse still even the one comfort of the top two NL East teams dominating the NL Wild Card berth is now in doubt as the Braves hold a very tenuous .5 game lead over the Padres (82-64).
While Atlanta hasn’t gone on a 10-game slide like the Padres did earlier this month it’s perhaps achieved something far worse as it was swept at home recently by the woeful Washington Nationals (62-84).
This team needs to get things right in the baseball odds competition and it need to get them right in a hurry.
On Saturday this team has a great chance to make a notch in the Win Column when it head’s to New York to take on an awful Mets squad.
The Braves will start ace Tim Hudson who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year with a 15-8 record and 2.62 ERA. The only catch is that he’s been awful his last three starts (0-3) and given up 13 earned runs in just 18.0 innings. But if he’s going to rebound and help this team to the baseball odds postseason now his chance to do it.
The Mets will start the inexperienced young pitcher Dillon Gee who has been fantastic in 2 starts this season pitching 13.0 innings and giving up just 1 run with an ERA of .69.
Still, expect the young man’s honeymoon in the Big Leagues to come to an end against a desperate Braves teams and look for Atlanta to get a win here and maintain its slim lead in the Wild Card race.