The Atlanta Braves, currently leading the NL East with a record of 10-5, will face the struggling Houston Astros, who sit at fifth in the AL West with a record of 6-12. The game is scheduled to take place in Houston on Tuesday at 8:10 p.m. EDT.
Pitching probables for the game are Reynaldo Lopez for the Braves, boasting a 1-0 record with a stellar 0.75 ERA, and Hunter Brown for the Astros, who has struggled with a 0-2 record and a high 16.43 ERA.
According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Braves are favored with a line of -115, while the Astros trail closely behind at -105. The over/under for the game is set at 10 runs.
The Braves currently lead the series 1-0, and they have been performing well both on the road (6-3) and overall (10-5). Their hitters hold the highest collective on-base percentage in the NL at.364.
On the other hand, the Astros have struggled, especially at home (4-7), but they possess the fourth-best team on-base percentage in MLB at.346.
Key players to watch include Jose Altuve for the Astros, who boasts five home runs and a.403 batting average, and Jeremy Pena, who has been performing well in recent games with a 13-for-42 record and two RBI.
Marcell Ozuna leads the Atlanta Braves with an impressive seven home runs and a slugging percentage of.746. On the other side, Matt Olson has been a key player for the Astros in recent games, going 13-for-41 with two home runs and seven RBI over the past 10 games.
In the last 10 games, the Astros have struggled with a record of 4-6, posting a batting average of.276 and an ERA of 6.62, being outscored by 17 runs. Meanwhile, the Braves have performed well with a record of 7-3, batting.302 and maintaining a 5.30 ERA, outscoring opponents by three runs.
Both teams have dealt with injuries to key players. For the Astros, notable players on the injured list include Oliver Ortega, Framber Valdez, Bennett Sousa, Penn Murfee, Luis Garcia, Lance McCullers Jr., Jose Urquidy, Justin Verlander, and Kendall Graveman. The Braves have Spencer Strider, Sean Murphy, and Angel Perdomo sidelined with injuries as well.