Braves vs Phillies Odds, Lines, and Pick – April 4
By Robert Duff in MLB Baseball
Published:
- The Atlanta Braves are -133 favorites to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies in their MLB game on Sunday, April 4th
- Philly has won the last two and five of the past six games against Atlanta
- They’ve also won four of the last five meetings with the Braves in Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Phillies are poised for a season-opening series sweep of the two-time defending AL East champion Atlanta Braves on Sunday, April 4th. Oddsmakers, though, are assessing that this won’t be happening.
Atlanta is the -133 favorite to get the better of the Phillies in the final game of this three-game set. The Braves vs Phillies odds, Atlanta lost the season opener 3-2 as the -125 chalk. Philadelphia was the -101 betting choice in the second game and covered via a 4-0 shutout win. Going back to last season, the past four Phillies games have all gone under.
It’s a battle of righthanders on the mound. The Braves are going with Ian Anderson. Philly is countering with Zach Eflin.
First pitch on Sunday is set for 1:05pm EDT at Citizens Bank Park. ESPN is carrying the broadcast.
Braves vs Phillies Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total at BetMGM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | -133 | -1.5 (+125) | O 8.0 (-115) |
| Philadelphia Phillies | -105 | +1.5 (-149) | U 8.0 (-105) |
Odds as of April 3rd
[promoted-sportsbook]History Repeating Itself?
In 2019, the Phillies opened the season 4-0. The first three wins of that run were a season-opening sweep of a series against the Braves.
Philly is finding different ways to win so far this season. The Phillies took the opener on a 10th-inning walk-off hit by Jean Segura.
Saturday, Zack Wheeler and two relievers combined to one-hit the Braves. Travis d’Arnaud’s second-inning single off Wheeler was Atlanta’s lone hit. Last season, the Braves led the NL in OPS and were second in runs scored.
Philadelphia’s bullpen, dreadful last season, has combined to work 5.1 scoreless innings so far in 2021. In 2020, The Philly bullpen posted a 7.06 ERA last season, the worst by an MLB staff since 1930.
Injury Report
Philly outfielder Adam Haseley, who left Thursday’s opener with a tight hamstring, was available Saturday but didn’t play. Phils manager Joe Girardi is expecting to play Haseley in Sunday’s game.
Haseley is available today. Plan is to start him tomorrow.
— Destiny Lugardo (@destiny_lugardo) April 3, 2021
The Braves placed infielder Ehire Adrianza on the 10-day injured list on Saturday. He left the team to deal with a personal issue.
Eflin Showing improvement
Eflin was 4-2 with a 3.97 ERA last season from 11 appearances, 10 of them starts. It was the third successive season that he’s lowered his ERA.
That movement 🥵 pic.twitter.com/zWvn8GpxG6
— MLB (@MLB) March 29, 2021
With a 5-3 career record, Eflin has won more games against the Braves than any other team except the Miami Marlins. He’s also 5-3 against Miami.
Braves Career Stats vs Eflin
| Player | AB | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ronald Acuna Jr | 12 | 1 | 2 | .333 |
| Ozzie Albies | 12 | 1 | 3 | .250 |
| Johan Camargo | 7 | 1 | 1 | .143 |
| Travis d’Arnaud | 7 | 0 | 0 | .143 |
| Freddie Freeman | 19 | 1 | 3 | .158 |
| Ender Inciarte | 13 | 2 | 4 | .308 |
| Alex Jackson | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Marcell Ozuna | 11 | 0 | 1 | .182 |
| Cristian Pache | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Austin Riley | 8 | 0 | 0 | .250 |
| Pablo Sandoval | 3 | 0 | 1 | .333 |
| Darby Swanson | 14 | 1 | 2 | .429 |
He’s proven to be a much better performer at home. Eflin’s ERA (3.09-5.91), WHIP (1.11.-1.59) and walks per nine innings (1.3-3.8) were also significantly lower last season at Citizens Bank Field than on the road.
Anderson Latest Braves Gem
As a rookie last season, Anderson was 3-2 with a 1.95 ERA over six starts. He opened his MLB postseason career with 17.2 scoreless inning, finally surrendering a run in Game 7 of the NLCS.
Ian Anderson, 80mph Curveball and 95mph Fastball, Individual Pitches + Overlay pic.twitter.com/Wq0cbPJxKJ
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 29, 2021
Anderson’s most effective pitch is his changeup. He held opposing batters to a .104 average with that pitch in 2020.
Phillies Career Stats vs Anderson
| Player | AB | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alec Bohm | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Didi Gregorius | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Bryce Harper | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Jon Berti | 5 | 0 | 1 | .400 |
| Adam Haseley | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Rhys Hoskins | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Matt Joyce | 5 | 0 | 0 | .200 |
| Andrew Knapp | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Andrew McCutchen | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Brad Miller | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Roman Quinn | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| JT Realmuto | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Jean Segura | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Ronald Torreyes | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
This will be Anderson’s first time facing the Phillies. He was 2-1 with a 2.55 ERA in three road starts last season.
Pick: Philadelphia Phillies +1.5 (-149)
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Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
