Braves vs. Reds: Picks, predictions, how to watch Friday’s game

The Braves and Reds square off on Friday with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Max Fried (7-2, 2.77 ERA) will start for the Braves, while the Reds will start Mike Minor (1-4, 7.71 ERA).

Atlanta (44-33) fell a game short of sweeping the Philadelphia Phillies in a 14-4 loss yesterday as the Braves enter Friday 3.5 games behind the New York Mets in the National League East. Fried made 15 starts this season and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits with 9 strikeouts over 6.2 innings of work last week against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves have the fourth-best OPS (.751), and Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Dansby Swanson all have more than 40 RBIs this season.

Cincinnati (26-49) will look to avoid a three-game losing streak after allowing 23 combined runs over its last two games against the Chicago Cubs. Minor made his season debut on June 3 and has struggled through his first five starts of 2022, coming off an outing where he gave up 6 runs on 8 hits including 3 home runs over 5 innings in a loss to the San Francisco Giants.

Braves vs. Reds

Pitchers: Max Fried vs. Mike Minor
First pitch: 6:40 p.m. ET
Braves local broadcast: Bally Sports Southeast
Reds local broadcast: Bally Sports Ohio
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Braves -1.5 (-165)
Run total: 9.5
Moneyline odds: Braves -275, Reds +230

Moneyline pick: Reds +230

There is enough value on Cincinnati to pick the Reds to steal a victory as massive underdogs in this spot. Fried has been excellent in 2022, but his worst start came against the Reds. In the season opener, he allowed 5 runs on 8 hits over 5.2 innings of work during a loss to Cincinnati. The Reds scored at least 5 runs in three of their last four games, and they’re worth the risk with a large payout.

Player prop pick: Max Fried Over 5.5 strikeouts (-145)

The Braves starter has an 8.8 K/9 this season, which is about what he has averaged throughout his MLB career (9.0), and he is racking up impressive strikeout numbers recently. Fried struck out at least 6 batters in his last four starts with an average of 7.8 K’s per game during that span.

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