Yankees vs Braves Game 1 Picks and Odds – Aug. 26
By Chris Amberley in MLB Baseball
Updated: March 9, 2021 at 2:23 pm ESTPublished:
- The New York Yankees are big road favorites over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of their doubleheader on Wednesday (Aug. 26th, 4:10 pm EST)
- Gerrit Cole (4-0, 2.75 ERA) will start for the Yankees, while the Braves will counter with Ian Anderson (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
- Read below for a preview and betting prediction for the game
New York Yankees fans must be wondering if they’re ever going to see their team play again. The Yankees three-game set over the weekend was postponed after two members of the New York Mets organization tested positive for coronavirus, and Tuesday’s game in Atlanta was postponed due to rain.
The Bronx Bombers and Braves will make up the game Wednesday at 4:10 pm EST, as part of a doubleheader, New York’s first of three twin bills this week.
Yankees vs Braves Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | -170 | OTB | Over 7.0 (-125) |
| Atlanta Braves | +157 | OTB | Under 7.0 (+105) |
Odds taken Aug. 26th.
Not surprisingly, New York opened up as a sizeable favorite in the Yankees vs Braves odds. They’ll give the ball to ace Gerrit Cole, who is 4-0 this season and has won 20 straight regular season decisions dating back to last year.
Cole is Cruising in 2020
Cole is fresh off two of his best outings of the season, limiting Tampa Bay and Boston to a combined three runs over 13.2 innings. He struck out 10 Rays and eight Red Sox on his way to posting his third and fourth quality starts of the season.
Gerrit Cole's last 28 starts:
🔥 W-L: 20-0
🔥 1.97 ERA
🔥 .176 BAA
🔥 270 K/37 BB⚾ #YANKSonYES ⚾ pic.twitter.com/kA28AgE5MK
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 25, 2020
Opposing batters are hitting just .197 against him through five outings, and are striking out at a 31.6% rate. He hasn’t faced Atlanta since jumping to the American League back in 2018, but when he did square off against them as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, he performed quite well. He’s 3-1 in six career starts against them, with a 3.19 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP.
Braves Career Stats vs Cole
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ronald Acuna Jr. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Travis d’Arnaud | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Freddy Freeman | 14 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 5 | .357 |
| Marcel Ozuna | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .250 |
| Matt Adams | 17 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | .235 |
| Ender Inciarte | 16 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .438 |
| Dansby Swanson | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .400 |
| Austin Riley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Johan Camargo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
The Braves bats will get a boost on Wednesday as star outfield Ronald Acuna Jr. returns from a 10-day stint on the injured list. After a slow start to the season, Acuna was heating up before his injury, smacking three home runs and driving in five runs in his last four games.
Deer in the Headlights?
Atlanta will counter with Ian Anderson, who will make his Major League debut. If there’s one team you wouldn’t want to face in your first career start, it’s probably the Yankees. New York ranks 12th in MLB in runs scored, and fifth in homers, despite playing five fewer games than almost everyone else.
LUUUUUUUUUUKE for his 10th pic.twitter.com/OLdtEhxs2a
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 20, 2020
The Bronx Bombers have been riddled with injuries all season, but are set to welcome back slugger Aaron Judge to the lineup. The 28-year-old has racked up nine home runs and 20 RBI in just 17 games this season, and ranks fourth in the entire league in OPS.
Yankees Career Stats vs Anderson
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Hicks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Luke Voit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Aaron Judge | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Gio Urshela | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Mike Tauchman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Brett Gardner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Gary Sanchez | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Clint Frazier | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Tyler Wade | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Anderson, the third pick in the 2016 Draft, has spent the last few years in the minors, most recently with the Gwinnett Stripers, Atlanta’s AAA club. He performed extremely well in A and AA ball, but struggled once he got to AAA.
Ian Anderson
Major League Debut, against the Yankees, opposite Gerrit Cole.
Good luck kid, ease your way in!
— Bob @ UK Atlanta Braves (@BravesintheUK) August 24, 2020
He was 1-2 in five starts there in 2019, posting a 6.57 ERA and 6.57 BB/9 rate. If there’s one silver lining for the rookie, it’s that New York will still be missing DJ LeMahieu, Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres from its lineup.
Back Cole and the Yankees
Cole’s regular season winning streak is going to eventually come to an end, but it won’t be against a team that’s trotting out a pitcher making his Major League debut. If Anderson struggled at AAA ball, how well do we think he’s going to fare against the mighty Yankees?
https://twitter.com/jgroc/status/1293347193638850561
With Judge back in the lineup and Cole on the mound, backing New York is the way to play this game. It also doesn’t hurt that the Yankees have beaten the Braves both times they’ve faced them this year, outscoring them 15-9.
Pick: New York Yankees moneyline (-170)
Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
