The game between the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves makes zero impact on anything playoff related, so keep that in mind when betting not only this game, but the rest of the MLB slate for the remainder of the week. That said, this total still feels way too low.
Brady Singer is slated as the starter for Cincinnati, and he comes into this contest in rough form. He has allowed 21 earned runs in just 12.1 innings this month alone, which equates to a 15.32 ERA. Going back to the start of August, he’s allowed at least three earned runs in every single start. To make matters worse, this Braves lineup has a .276 batting average and .920 OPS against Singer in 87 at-bats, and a vast majority of that damage comes from players not named Ronald Acuna Jr.
Atlanta will give the ball to Tyler Mahle, a former Red back in the day. Mahle has been in much better form than Singer, allowing only two earned runs in 19 September innings, striking out 12 and walking just two along the way. In fact, he hasn’t given up more than two runs in any outing since the Braves acquired him at the beginning of August, and all but one of those starts lasted at least six innings.
Atlanta may be focused on the postseason, but Singer is prime fade material. It’s Braves or nothing, but again, keep in mind the insignificance of this game.
Reds vs Braves prediction: Atlanta Braves -1.5 (+105) at the time of publishing. Playable to +100.
