Reds (Castillo) vs Braves (Anderson) Game 2 Picks and Odds – Oct 1st

• The Braves are now one win away from advancing after a marathon 13-inning victory over the Reds in Game 1 of their best-of-three Wild-Card series
• In Game 2, the underdog Reds turn to Luis Castillo, who went 4-0 with a 1.26 ERA in his first four September starts
• Read on for a game preview, odds, and a best bets for Thursday’s matinee

After the longest scoreless game in MLB postseason history, the Reds and Braves will have a very short turnaround before taking the field at 12:08 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 1, for Game 2 of their best-of-three Wild-Card series.

Following their 1-0 win in the 13th inning of their opener, the Braves now stand one win away from advancing to the NLDS, but they will have to do so on the arm of rookie Ian Anderson, who makes his postseason debut in Game 2. The Reds turn to four-year veteran Luis Castillo to preserve their season.

Despite the apparent pitching mismatch, Atlanta is the clear favorite in the Reds vs Braves odds.

Reds vs Braves Game 2 Odds

Odds as of Sept. 30 at FanDuel. 

Can Castillo Extend Series?

The Reds will really be hoping that the 27-year-old Castillo can find the form he had for most of September. Castillo went 4-0 with a 1.26 ERA in his first four starts, before laying an egg in his regular-season’s finale, giving up six hits and four earned runs in four innings during a 7-3 loss at Minnesota.

Since the start of the 2019 season, Luis Castillo has a 141 ERA+, better than all but 8 SPs with 40+ starts in that span pic.twitter.com/Z9ftmdMfDE

— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) September 22, 2020

Castillo finished the season with a 4-6 record, 3.21 ERA, and a career-worst 1.229 WHIP. It surely wasn’t how the talented Dominican envisioned following up his 2019 All-Star campaign.

"It's almost an optical illusion for a hitter."

Tom Verducci broke down Luis Castillo's @45PedroMartinez-like changeup on #TheRundown.@Reds | #TakeTheCentral pic.twitter.com/hq757CkSRX

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 30, 2020

In his postseason debut, Castillo will be making his fourth career start against the Braves. He has a 1-1 record in those four starts, giving up six earned runs across 14 innings. He is yet to give up a home run to an Atlanta hitter.

Baptism by Fire for Anderson

If Atlanta is to punch its ticket to the National League Division Series, they will do so leaning on a 22-year-old making just his seventh MLB start.

Ian Anderson heads into his postseason debut with a sub-2.00 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 32.1 career innings.@CoorsLight // #9InningsToChill pic.twitter.com/BIAyBZthSX

— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) September 25, 2020

Ian Anderson has performed well in his extremely short career, going 3-2 with a 1.95 ERA and a 1.082 WHIP, never giving up more than three earned runs in a game.

Though he has never faced the Reds, he has done particularly well at home, going 1-1 in three starts at Truist Park, with 16 strikeouts and just two earned runs in 14.2 innings.

Can Braves Break Out?

Anderson’s postseason debut would likely be a lot more comfortable if his teammates provided an iota of run support. The Braves’ offense, which generated the second-most runs in the majors this season, didn’t put a single run on the board in the first 12 innings of Game 1.

FREDDIE FREEMAN WALKS IT OFF!

Braves take Game 1 in the best-of-three series in 13 innings 👀 pic.twitter.com/T4X7xF4nkm

— ESPN (@espn) September 30, 2020

The Braves’ big guns of Freddie Freeman, Marcell Ozuna, and Ronald Acuna were just 2-for-15. For a trio that combined for 190 hits, 45 home runs, and 138 RBI this season, that lack of offense is unlikely to continue for long.

Braves Career Stats vs Castillo

In fact, the current Braves roster has a .388 average and .472 on-base percentage against Castillo. Back the Braves to break out in Game 2.

Pick: Braves (-140); U 7.5 (-115)