Chad Hartsock

The Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins finish a 4-game series on Thursday night. These teams have traded lopsided victories, with the Marlins winning the first game 12-0, and then the Braves taking the next 2 games by scores of 8-4 and 9-1. On Thursday, we get a couple of top billing pitchers on the hill as Spencer Strider faces Sandy Alcantara. This should make for a great matchup—almost none of the Marlins have seen Strider before, while some of the Braves have seen 30 or even 40 at-bats against Alcantara. This is probably going to be one of those days where good pitching just beats good hitting. I think there is a real chance the Marlins win in the end, and I like them at plus money.

Strider, of course, is making only his 4^th start of the season. He has battled injuries for the past couple years, and the Braves are handling him carefully. The pitch count will be limited, and if the Marlins can take some pitches and avoid an excessive number of strikeouts, Strider is unlikely to go deep into the game. Alcantara, on the other hand, intends to throw a complete game every time he takes the mound. I think there is a real chance that neither starter gives up much damage, but that Alcantara stays in the game a couple innings longer, and that makes the difference. Let’s roll the dice with the Marlins.

Braves vs Marlins Prediction: Miami Marlins ML (+120) available at the time of publishing. Playable to +110.

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