Atlanta Braves (0-0) vs Cincinnati Reds (0-0)
Game Info: Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 8:08 pm (Truist Park)
Max Fried (0-0) (0.00) vs Tyler Mahle (0-0) (0.00)
Betting Odds: Atlanta Braves -210 / Cincinnati Reds +190 --- Over/Under: 8 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves face off on Thursday in an MLB opening day showdown at SunTrust Park.
The Cincinnati Reds finished 2021 in 3rd place in the National League Central with a record of 83-79. This is a team that looks a lot different than last year's squad. The Reds shipped off Tucker Barnhart to save money, and Nick Castellanos also opted out of his contract. Both of those players were key last year and will be missed in this lineup. The key players in the offense for this team this year will be Mike Moustakas, Jonathan India, Tyler Naquin, and Joey Votto.
On the other side of this matchup is the Atlanta Braves who won the World Series last year, and they have a talented roster this year that could compete again this season. Gone is Freddie Freeman but they did make a big trade for Matt Olson who is going to be leaned on in this season. Austin Riley, Dansby Swanson, Austin Riley, Eddie Rosario, and Ozzie Albies are going to be key players in this lineup. Right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr is still rehabbing his knee and will be out at least the first couple of weeks.
Getting the start for the Reds will be Tyler Mahle and last season he finished with a 13-6 record and an ERA of 3.75. During spring training he pitched 10.2 innings and had an ERA of 3.38.
Getting the start for the Braves will be Max Fried and he finished last season with a 14-7 record and an ERA of 3.04. During spring training Fried pitched seven innings and had an ERA of 6.43 and four strikeouts.
The Reds are 1-4 in their last five games. The Braves are 12-2 in their last 14 home games. The Reds are 1-4 in the last five meetings in Atlanta. The under is 7-2 in the last nine meetings between the two teams.
The better team here is the Braves, but Max Fried hasn’t looked good during spring training, and I expect the Reds offense will actually have some success against him. There will also be a lot of emotions being opening day and the celebration of the World Series. Look for Mahle to have a strong start, and the Reds will pull off the big opening day win.