Yonny Chirinos vs. Kodai Senga wraps up this week in baseball
On Sunday, August 13th, the New York Mets host the Atlanta Braves for a little Sunday Night Baseball. We have been regularly diving into MLB’s Sunday night game of the week this season, as we know these games will have a lot of eyeballs on them. So, keep reading to see how we’re playing this one! We're entering the final stretch of what has been an exciting baseball season, and this meeting between two NL East division rivals should be a fun one. With that said, you'll want a little action on it.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on August 13
Braves vs. Mets betting odds
Braves -135 / Total: 9.5
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Braves vs. Mets Side Analysis
The Braves acquired Yonny Chirinos from the Tampa Bay Rays a few weeks ago. The righty has now made three appearances for Atlanta, giving up 13 earned runs over 13.2 innings of work. The 29-year-old was 4-4 with a 4.02 ERA with the Rays, so his 8.56 ERA with the Braves is bound to come down. But Chirinos was mostly used as a long reliever in Tampa Bay, so it’s possible that this is just who he is as a starter. Some guys aren’t meant to be going through the same lineup two or three times in a single game.
The good news for Chirinos is that he’s facing a Mets team that has gone cold recently. Normally a top-10 offense in the league against right-handed pitching, the Mets are just 20th in baseball in wRC+ against righties since July 15th. And this game also happens to be taking place at Citi Field, which isn’t the most hitter-friendly environment in the world. So, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Chirinos will give Atlanta some decent innings in this one. And if he does, the Braves should win this game pretty easily.
Kodai Senga has had a great season for the Mets, as he’s 8-6 with a 3.24 ERA. And he’s an even stronger 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 11 home starts. But Senga hasn’t faced an offense quite like this Atlanta one. The Braves have the highest wRC+ in the league this season, and that’s true against both righties and lefties. So, there really aren’t many matchups that can throw this Braves team off. And I think they’ll be able to do at least some damage against Senga here.
Atlanta also happens to be 29-7 this season when facing teams with slugging percentages of .400 or worse on the year. And the Braves have won those games by an average score of 7.5 to 3.9. This is simply a tough team to beat if you don’t have a lot of firepower scattered throughout the lineup. The Braves are also 25-6 against NL East opponents this year, so they have been getting up for all divisional games this season.
Braves vs. Mets Total Analysis
The Braves were able to shut the Mets out last game, but I’d expect New York to find some success against Chirinos. That would be a great thing for Over bettors, as Atlanta can always be counted on to score some runs. The Braves have actually scored at least six runs in six of their last seven games. They just have so much upside as an overall offense, as evidenced by their 21-run performance on Saturday.
The Over has also hit in each of the last five games in which Chirinos has pitched, so you can count on this being a game in which Atlanta needs to simply outproduce New York at the plate.
Braves vs. Mets Best Bets
The Mets have the better starter on the mound in this game, but this is just too good of a price for a team as good as the Braves. Atlanta should be able to score some runs against Senga, but the team will do damage against the Mets bullpen regardless. So, backing the Braves is undoubtedly the best bet you can make in this game.
Picks: Braves ML (-135)
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