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Braves vs. Padres Prediction and Odds for Sunday, April 17 (Braves Oozing With Value as Underdogs)

By Joe Summers

Yu Darvish hopes to bounce back from a disastrous outing against the Giants as the Padres host the Braves today
Yu Darvish hopes to bounce back from a disastrous outing against the Giants as the Padres host the Braves today / Ezra Shaw/GettyImages
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The 5-5 San Diego Padres have lost four of five as they host the 5-5 Atlanta Braves today at 7:08 PM EST in the final contest of a four-game series.

Atlanta dropped the first game of the series before winning each of the last two. They'll send Bryce Elder out in hopes of a third straight victory. Elder didn't allow a run over 7.2 spring training innings and was impressive in his season debut, surrendering three runs over 5.2 innings in a win against Washington.

Yu Darvish gets the nod for the Padres. After dominating the Diamondbacks in six scoreless innings in his first start, Darvish got absolutely shelled for nine runs in just 1.2 innings of work against the Giants.

Can the Braves capitalize on Darvish's struggles or will he settle down to give the Padres a much-needed win?

Let's take a peak at the odds from WynnBET Sportsbook to find some value in this Braves vs Padres matchup:

Braves vs Padres Odds, Run Line and Total

Run Line

  • Braves +1.5 (-180)
  • Padres -1.5 (+150)

Moneyline:

  • Braves: +119
  • Padres: -129

Total:

  • 8.0 (Over +100/Under -120)

Braves vs Padres Prediction and Pick

Under no circumstances can Yu Darvish be trusted right now, especially not against one of the best lineups in baseball. To call his performance against the Giants dreadful would be a massive understatement, and he hasn't looked like his dominant self for quite some time.

From July 3rd to September 13th of last year, he allowed four or more runs in eight of his 11 starts. He finished the second half of the season with a 6.16 ERA, and Atlanta's dominant offense will be chomping at the bits to tee off on him.

The Padres' offense, meanwhile, has lacked any sort of pop this year. They exploded for 12 runs in the first game of this series, but otherwise have scored two or fewer runs in four of their last five. Elder is a highly touted prospect that excelled at every level of the minors he played in and I've got a lot of optimism for his long-term success.

Last season in the minors, Elder amassed a 2.21 ERA in seven Triple-A starts while striking out over 27% of the batters he faced. San Diego ranks 26th in strikeouts per game this year and this is the first time their hitters will have ever seen Elder, so he should take advantage of that unfamiliarity to generate a bunch of swings and misses.

Atlanta has won four of their last five against the Padres and I think that continues today. Give me the plus money on the Braves as Darvish continues to struggle while Elder shines.

Pick: Braves (+119)

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.

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