Miami Marlins vs. Atlanta Braves – MLB, October 7, 2020

Game 2 of the National League Division Series between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves is set for Wednesday, October 7, at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

The Braves took the first blood, beating their division foes 9-5 on Tuesday afternoon. The Marlins, who never lost the playoff series in franchise history, will have to respond immediately, but they beat the Braves only once in their last six encounters. 

Wednesday’s game brings plenty of interesting markets to choose from, and the odds are already available on all relevant sportsbooks, so here’s my best Marlins vs. Braves betting pick.

The Braves won the opener as -210 favorites, but they were available at -195 on Monday night. Atlanta is a firm fave once more after smacking a couple of home runs in the seventh inning of Game 1 to overcome a one-run deficit.

Actually, the Braves trailed by three runs in the bottom of the third when Marcell Ozuna and Travis d’Arnaud hit an RBI each to cut the deficit. Travis hit the three-run homer off Yimi Garcia in the seventh to lift the Braves over the Marlins, while Dansby Swanson finished the job with a two-run round-tripper. 

Sandy Alcantara took the loss for the Marlins who used three guys in relief. Alcantara yielded five earned runs on eight hits including a solo homer to Ronald Acuna. On the other side, Max Fried pitched four innings for the Braves, while five relievers tossed one inning each.

The Braves showed how dangerous they are at the plate. They hit 103 home runs in the regular season while averaging 5.80 runs per game, finishing only behind the LA Dodgers in these two categories.

The Marlins were tallying 4.38 runs per game last regular season (21^st in the majors). They had nine hits on Tuesday including Miguel Rojas’ solo home run, but the Braves’ pitching staff didn’t walk a batter in the opener.

Rookie Ian Anderson will get the starting nod for Atlanta in Game 2. The righty was impressive in his postseason debut last week, pitching six shutout innings in a 5-0 victory over Cincinnati while yielding only a couple of hits and free passes.

Anderson went 3-2 with a 1.95 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in six regular-season starts. He was 0-1 in a couple of starts against Miami, allowing five runs (just one earned) on nine hits and four walks through 8.2 innings.

The Marlins will start Pablo Lopez, and the righty will have his playoff debut after going 6-4 with a 3.61 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 11 starts in 2020.

Lopez was 2-1 in three starts against Atlanta last regular season, and that one defeat came in the Braves’ epic 29-run performance on September 9. Pablo allowed seven earned runs on four hits in just 1.2 innings of work, but in his other two starts against the Braves, Lopez surrendered only two earned runs through 11 frames.

The Braves’ offense will be a key factor in this matchup, and I cannot bet against the second-highest scoring team in baseball. Pablo Lopez had a couple of strong displays against Atlanta in 2020, but he also had one disastrous that finished in a 29-9 win by Atlanta.

Give me the Braves at moneyline odds. The Marlins could take advantage of the rookie starting pitcher, but the Braves can always find a few good hits down the stretch to finish on the top.