ATLANTA @ HOUSTON (HOU -108, 9.5)
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BRAVES VS. ASTROS 4/15/24
The final two games of the Houston Astros' three-game weekend series against the Texas Rangers saw the right-handers Ronel Blanco and Cristian Javier shine, providing much-needed support after three straight rough outings by their rotation.
When Houston hosts the Atlanta Braves for the first game of a three-game interleague series tonight, it hopes that trend continues.
Javier gave up two runs in seven innings on Sunday, helping the Astros defeat the Rangers 8-5 in the series finale. That came one day after Blanco gave up two runs in six innings. Houston left-hander Framber Valdez (elbow soreness) is expected to play catch on Tuesday and then get back into his regular routine. Valdez was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 9.
After Valdez's third Opening Day start for the Astros, he joined four other Astros starters on the injured list. That list includes Justin Verlander, who made his second rehab start for Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday. Over the course of four innings, Verlander (shoulder) threw 77 pitches and gave up six runs (five earned). On Sunday, he went into the Astros clubhouse with his teammates.
Tonight, Spencer Arrighetti, a rookie right-hander for the Astros (0-1, 21.00 ERA), will start his second game of the season. Arrighetti, 24, made his major league debut on Wednesday, going three innings and giving up seven runs on seven hits. He issued three walks and struck out three while Houston fell short against the Kansas City Royals 11-2.
Recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, Braves right-hander Darius Vines (1-0, 3.98 ERA in 2023) will start the first game of the series on Monday. Vines, who is ranked as the Braves' No. 14 prospect by MLB Pipeline, started two games for Gwinnett this season and is 0-0 with a 3.75 ERA. He has struck out 11 batters in 12 innings. Last season, the 25-year-old appeared in five games for the Braves, making two starts.
In the third and final game of their three-game series against the Miami Marlins, the Braves prevailed 9–7 on the road. Marcell Ozuna hit a go-ahead, three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning with Atlanta down to its last strike.
Atlanta’s offense ranks No. 2 in scoring in MLB averaging 6.31 runs per game. The Braves have won six of their last nine games and scored at least five runs in each victory. Atlanta is just 1-4 in its last five games against Houston.
The Astros are just 6-13 SU in their last 19 games and 5-14 SU in their last 19 games at home. Houston scored 8, 9, and 8 runs in their weekend series with Texas. The Astros won two of the three games.
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Get free MLB picks and MLB predictions for the top games on the daily 2023-24 MLB schedule from JA Cavalier, one of the industry’s premier expert MLB handicappers. JA Cavalier has been bringing the betting community the best MLB free picks and predictions for nearly three decades. Visit daily for the best MLB moneyline and point spread odds and game totals.