A rematch of last season’s NLCS wraps up the MLB betting week and concludes a three-game series when the Los Angeles Dodgers visit the Atlanta Braves on Sunday Night Baseball.
The Braves enter the set on a massive heater that’s seen them make up ground in the NL East. They opened the month winning 14 straight games and just took two of three from the Giants giving them 18 wins in their first 21 games in June.
LA opened its road trip in style sweeping the Reds scoring 26 in the three games. MLB wins leader Tony Gonsolin takes the bump for the Dodgers opposite Spencer Strider, who looks to rebound after a rocky outing last time out.
Dodgers vs Braves Date & Time
The NL matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves takes place on Sunday, June 26, 2022 at 7:08 p.m. ET from Truist Park. The game will air live on ESPN with betting options for every game on the 2022 MLB schedule available at BookMaker.eu.
Dodgers vs Braves Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers (Check Back Later)
Atlanta Braves (Check Back Later)
Total (Check Back Later)
Season So Far
Despite a rash of injuries the Dodgers have been one of the best in the NL and MLB. The reason is organizational depth with Sunday’s probable Tony Gonsolin the poster child. Drafted in the ninth round in 2016, Gonsolin appeared in 35 games making 27 starts the previous three years. The loss of Dustin May and Trevor Bauer opened spots in the rotation. Injuries to Clayton Kershaw, Andew Heaney and now Walker Buehler kept them open. And Gonsolin has taken advantage leading MLB in wins and ERA. As team the Dodgers are one of the best on the hill with a sub-3.00 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.
The Dodgers have won over 63 percent of their games with an offense that hasn’t clicked on all cylinders. We saw how destructive the lineup can be in the Cincinnati series scoring 26 runs on 42 hits cashing the OVER in all three games. And if Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner get hot, look out. Each had three hits on Thursday with Muncy and Bellinger going yard. That production will help with Mookie Betts sidelined with sore ribs.
The defending champs snapped out of their funk when the calendar flipped to June. Following consecutive losses to Arizona at the end of May that dropped them a season-worst four games below .500 and 10.5 games off the division lead, the Braves have been nearly unbeatable. In fact they were during the first 14 games of the month. They improved to 18-3 in June taking three of four from the Giants with all three wins by one run closing the gap with the Mets to 4.5 games.
A lot of that damage came at home. Thursday’s win was their 10th in 11 home games where they outscored opponents 67-39 with the long ball a big part of their arsenal. Dansby Swanson hit three homers in the last two games of the Giants series sparking a three-run ninth-inning comeback on Wednesday with a solo blast. He’s one of five players with double-digit dingers helping the Braves to a NL best 106 homers.
Probable Pitchers
Gonsolin (9-0, 1.58 ERA) had solid numbers over his first three seasons in the bigs, but what he’s done this year is beyond belief. You almost expect a bad outing because he can’t be this good, right? If there is a knock against him it’s that he doesn’t go deep in games. He’s completed more than six innings once, which was two starts ago when he blanked the Angels on one hit in 6.1 frames. He hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any start and he’s won his last five outings allowing 13 hits with 27 strikeouts in 29.1 innings.
Three times Gonsolin has gone at least five innings allowing only one hit. One of those was against the Braves in April in a 5-1 win. Gonsolin went at least six innings with quality starts in six straight games before exiting his last outing after five innings. He surrendered a pair of homers among three hits against the Reds.
The Braves are looking for a rebound performance from Strider (3-2, 3.40 ERA), who was roughed up by the Giants last time out. He allowed six hits and six runs in 3.2 innings taking a ND. In his three previous starts Strider pitched to a 1.76 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 15.1 innings. Strider has electric stuff fanning 72 hitters in 47.2 innings, but harnessing it is what will define him. He’s started just five games in his career and we’ll see how he reacts to the worst one.
Dodgers vs Braves Predictions
We’ll see if the Dodgers can keep the offense rolling. Mashing the Reds is one thing, doing it against the Braves is another. There’s no denying LA has the lineup and if guys like Muncy and Bellinger get hot they’ll be even tougher. And they give Gonsolin plenty of support, though he hasn’t needed much with his brilliant season so far.
Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers / OVER
