Friday MLB Betting – An NL East Showdown Hits Atlanta

We may just be a week into the season, but it’s never too early to get into the MLB Betting action.

And while the rest of the baseball world is immersed with Yankees-Red Sox this weekend, an important National League battle will hit Atlanta, when the Braves host the Phillies.

Philadelphia Phillies (5-1 SU, 4-2 R/L, 5-0-1 O/U) at Atlanta Braves (3-4 SU, 4-3 R/L, 2-4-1 O/U)

Friday, April 8: 7:35 p.m., Live from Turner Field, Atlanta, GA

Betting Odds:

Philadelphia: -1 ½, +150, -110

(Cliff Lee-L)

Atlanta: +1 ½, -170, -110

(Tim Hudson-R)

Run Total:

Over 7: +125

Under 7: -105

And what a battle it’ll be, with two of the top pitchers in baseball getting together. Starting with the Phillies, they’ll send the newest of their four aces, Cliff Lee to the mound.

By now you know Lee’s story, as he has gone from Cleveland to Philadelphia to Seattle and Texas, before coming back to the Phillies this offseason. And what an acquisition he is, as the former Cy Young Award winner has also been a playoff hero in both Philadelphia and with the Rangers last October.

This year, Lee got off to his usual strong start with a win against the Astros to open the season. Lee pitched seven strong innings, allowing just four hits and three earned runs in victory. Most impressively, he finished his day on the bump with 11 strikeouts.

But before you place all your MLB Betting money on Lee and the Phillies, remember, they’ll be going against Atlanta’s top pitcher, Tim Hudson.

Hudson doesn’t quite have the reputation of Lee, but is coming off a 17 win season in 2010, and a strong start to this campaign as well. Like Lee, Hudson pitched seven strong innings, and allowed just one earned run, while striking out five. Atlanta cruised to an 11-2 victory in Washington that day.

And with two strong starters on the hill, what the MLB Betting picks here will ultimately come down to is offense. Right now, we’ve got to give the edge to the Phillies.

While Atlanta entered this season expected to put up big numbers, that premonition has hardly come true, as they rank toward the bottom of baseball with just 3.43 runs per game, and a .226 team batting average. Not good.

Meanwhile, things couldn’t be more opposite in Philadelphia. A lineup which was expected to struggle without the injured Chase Utley is firing on all cylinders, averaging an MLB Betting best .353 team average. First baseman Ryan Howard is hitting a blistering .480, while second baseman Placido Polanco is hitting .420. In total, an incredible six Phillies regulars are hitting at least .300 right now.

Obviously those numbers won’t last forever, but we do expect them to last through the night. Nobody is playing better than the Phillies right now, and we expect them to continue streaking with a comfortable run line victory.

Make Philadelphia your Friday MLB Betting Pick!

MLB Betting Pick: Philadelphia Run Line (-1 ½, +150)