San Diego vs Atlanta: The upper hand here is more likely than it looks

Last season, San Diego lost all three games at home to Atlanta. Will the Padres manage to beat the reigning champions in the first head-to-head game of the 2022 championship? We'll pick a few bets at once.

Ahead of their home games against Atlanta, the San Diego team was unable to cope on the road against division rival San Francisco Giants. The Padres took the first game of the series from the Giants but lost the next two, 4-2, 2-13, 1-2. San Diego experienced difficulties with their first serious opponent. San Francisco are no Arizona, whom the Padres blew out 3-1 in the first championship series.

The Padres' starting pitcher for game one against Atlanta is the experienced Joe Musgrove. The pitcher allowed 2 runs in 6 innings against Arizona (4-2) in his 2022 championship game debut. Last season, Musgrove is 11-9 and has a 3.18 ERA in 31 starts for San Diego.

The reigning champion doesn't seem to have fully recovered from last year's title. Brian Snitker's team, as if still in euphoria, failed to win both 2022 championship series starts. First, the Braves were beaten 3-6, 7-6, 2-1, 3-6 at home by Cincinnati. Then, also at home, Atlanta lost to Washington 2-11, 16-4, 1-3. Not a good start. It's uncomfortable to ask the Braves, though, perhaps even the organization's most ardent fans.

The legendary Charlie Morton will be on the pitcher's mound for Atlanta in the upcoming game. The 38-year-old pitcher made his new season debut against Cincinnati (7-6), allowing 2 runs in 5.1 innings. Last season, Morton has a 3.34 ERA and is 14-6 in 33 starts for Atlanta.

San Diego and Atlanta are both top teams in the National League, plus they're still just getting into the championship and are performing very erratically. That's why it's hard to predict the winner of the upcoming game. We'd rather play on results. Although we've got the mighty Morton and Musgrove in the starting line-up, we'll have to make allowances for their start to the season. The result does not yet weigh on the teams, so concentration is not always at a high level. That means the upper hand is far more likely than it might seem. In addition, the Padres and Braves are relievers very often.

• Total Over 7.5 for 1.83;
• Total Over 4.5 runs after 5 innings for 2.04;
• Total Over 9 for 2.52.

TelecomAsia Sport is looking for MLS tipsters. Contact jobs@telecomasia.net for more information.