The Atlanta Braves were stunned yesterday against the 11-45 Oakland Athletics, losing by a score of 7-2 while registering only four hits after the first inning. It is a bounce-back day for the Braves hitters against left-handed pitcher J.P. Sears, who headlines the best Braves-Athletics bet.
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Best Braves-Athletics Bet: J.P. Sears
Anytime the Braves are against a left-handed pitcher, they should be backed them in some fashion. Sears is in his third year in the big leagues, and at 27 years old, he is hopeful to be a workhorse for the Athletics rotation for years to come.
There are tons of angles in fading Sears tonight, but one in particular stands out. He just pitched five days ago and threw 59 pitches while striking out only one against a strikeout-prone Mariners squad. Now he has to face off against a Braves team that is striking out at the sixth-lowest rate against left-handed pitching in May.
Sears commands the strike zone with his top of the league walk rate; he walks hitters less than 4.5% of the time. The Braves will be locked and loaded for Sears. They are one of two teams to hit left-handed pitching for a batting average above .300.
It will be interesting to see how deep Sears goes into this game given how little rest he is on. Still, fading his strikeouts seems like the best bet, along with his outs recorded. He stayed under six strikeouts in six of 10 starts this season.
Best Braves-Athletics Bet: J.P. Sears Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-143, Caesars)
