Arizona vs Atlanta Prediction: the Braves and Charlie Morton to Win

Atlanta lost again. This time the reigning MLB champion failed in the first game of the series in Phoenix against Arizona. Will Brian Snitker's team be stronger in the second game against the Diamondbacks? Let's pick a few bets at once. 

The Diamondbacks had a great first quarter of the regular season, but can complain about the strength of their division. Competing with Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego and San Francisco is very difficult. Arizona with a 24-26 balance is only 4th in the NL West, although the team from Phoenix ranks high 7th in the conference summary standings.

Arizona won the first game of the series against Atlanta by a powerwill. Tory Lovullo's team found itself in a catch-up role twice, losing 2-3 by the fifth inning, but scored 4 unanswered runs in the fifth and held the lead until the end of the game. Ketel Marte, Josh Rojas and Daulton Varsho each had 1 RBI.

Humberto Castellanos, 3-2 and with a 5.22 ERA in 10 starts, was named Arizona's starting pitcher for game two of the series with the Braves.

The Braves are still struggling to get past the 50% win mark. After a 23-26 loss in Game 1 of the series in Phoenix, Brian Snitker's team ranks eighth in the National League standings. Atlanta is second in the NL Central division, but already well behind the division leader, the New York Mets, who are 33-17.

So far, the reigning champion has an average performance both at bat and on defense. Atlanta is allowing an average of 4.35 runs per game, while striking out 4.12. By comparison, the Braves finished the regular season championship season with a 4.07 (on defense) and 4.91 (on offense).

Serving for Atlanta in the upcoming game will be veteran Charlie Morton. The legendary pitcher is 3-3 and has a 5.28 ERA in nine starts on the new season.

Atlanta is underperforming so far this season and has the potential to grow. In particular, in their second game against Arizona, the Braves must take revenge. In their last 4 games with Charlie Morton as starting pitcher, Atlanta has won, although it has lost a lot. The upcoming meeting could very well fit into that mold, given that the Diamondbacks aren't the strongest team in the MLB in terms of defense either Prediction: Atlanta to win in the over match.

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