Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves – 8/29/20 MLB Pick, Odds, and Prediction

The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies meet Saturday in MLB action from Citizens Bank Park. 

This will be the second game in a three-game weekend series between these teams. In the Friday opener, we had an extra-innings battle as the Phillies notched a walk-off victory 7-4 in the 11th inning. Check back all season long for free MLB picks and MLB predictions at Sports Chat Place. 

The Braves fought their way back from a 4-1 deficit early in the game Friday, but ultimately came up short despite out-hitting the Phillies 9-7. Atlanta’s hitters notched a couple of solo homers there, and starting pitcher Robbie Erlin went 4.0 innings with four earned runs, three strikeouts, two homers allowed and four hits. 

For the Saturday starting role, Atlanta will send out Josh Tomlin. In 10 games (two starts) this season, Tomlin has a 3.93 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 18.1 innings. Over his career, Tomlin is a 4.67 pitcher with a 64-55 record and 686 Ks in 996.1 innings total. 

Over on the Phillies’ side, Zack Wheeler held things down as the starter pretty well on Friday, notching 5.2 innings with six hits, two runs (one earned), one walk and three strikeouts. Andrew McCutchen was the lead hitter there with two RBI and two hits, while Scott Kingery won the game on a three-run homer during pinch-hit duties. 

For the Saturday starter, Philly is going with Zach Eflin. This season, Eflin is 1-1 with a 5.12 ERA over four starts, with 29 strikeouts in 19.1 innings. On his career, Eflin is 26-32 with a 4.74 ERA and 347 Ks in 438.1 frames of work. 

The Braves are 20-7 in their last 27 Saturday games and 7-3 in their last 10 games on grass. Atlanta is 7-3 in the last 10 games following a loss and 42-20 in their last 62 versus a team with a losing record. 

Meanwhile, the Phillies are 4-0 in their last four overall and 4-0 in their last four home games. Philadelphia is 5-1 in the last six Saturday games and 6-1 in their last seven games following a win. 

Pick: I want to lean Braves here, but this one’s a little sketchy. This will be Tomlin’s third start since being moved out of the pen, and his last matchup against the Phillies didn’t go so well. On Sunday evening in Atlanta, Tomlin gave up three homers across three innings and really needs to avoid that long ball here. Though he’s not generally a huge strikeout guy, Tomlin has been doing well enough in that category in 2020. If he can keep the ball in the park, I like Atlanta’s chances in this one.