We’re one day away from playoff baseball in Atlanta as the Braves get set for the NLDS against the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies, and they’ll open the series as -185 favorites.
Entering the second round of the MLB postseason, the Braves are the smallest favorite with the Astors favored over the Mariners at -220 and both the Yankees and Dodgers favored by -210 in their respective series, according to DraftKings.
Despite holding the best record in baseball since June 1st, the defending champions are third in the odds to win the World Series at +450 behind the Dodgers at +300 and the Astors at +360.
As for the schedule, the Braves drew the short straw and will open the NLDS at Truist Park at 1:07 Tuesday afternoon. The prime-time slots were awarded to the Yankees with first pitch from the Bronx between New York and Cleveland set for 6:38 p.m. and the Dodgers, out on the west coast, will begin their clash with the Padres at 9:37. Houston and Seattle also will play in the sunshine at 3:37.
While both Steak Shapiro and Sandra Golden are confident in the Braves’ rotation and lineup entering the series with the Phillies, the Braves will have to overcome their day-game struggles in order to jump out to a lead. Atlanta finished the regular season with a 24-26 record in day games. The Braves did win the season series with the Phillies 11-8.
The Braves will send Max Fried to the hill in game one and hope to get Spencer Strider—the latest young player to earn a big-buck extension—back at some point in the coming days.
