There are multiple games today beginning this afternoon on the National League schedule, and there’s value to target in these spots. Below, you can find both games from the National League and some of our best bets on the FanDuel Sportsbook.Miami Marlins (-112) vs. Cincinnati Reds (-104) Total: 8.5 (O -118, U -104)
The Miami Marlins will visit the Cincinnati Reds for Game 2 of a four-game series tonight from Great American Ballpark. The Reds kicked off the series last night by blowing out the visitors 11-2, and they’ve quietly been playing some solid baseball out of the All-Star break. Cincinnati has won three-of-four and has a 6-4 record over their past ten games. The Marlins haven’t shown much consistency, evident with their 4-6 record over that same stretch of games. This game is as good an opportunity for the Marlins to find some offensive consistency in what should be an ideal matchup for the second game in this series.
Miami should hold an advantage on the mound in this second game, with not a lot going right for the Reds rookie right-hander this year. The Marlins will send Pablo Lopez to the bump, while the Reds will counter with Hunter Greene. Lopez has been one of the more consistent starters in the National League, and he should match up well with the Reds in this contest. The Marlins right-hander has a 6-5 record with a 3.14 ERA and 107 strikeouts, while Greene is 3-11 with a 5.78 ERA and 113 strikeouts. Strikeouts haven’t been a problem for either righty this season.
Over his past seven starts, Greene has pitched to the tune of an ugly 6.37 ERA, and that doesn’t appear to inspire confidence with bettors, especially not in the hitter-friendly confines of Cincinnati. Even though Lopez hasn’t been as clean and consistent as he was in June, he has yet to put up back-t0-back poor outings this season and is coming off allowing five earned runs against Texas. With that, there’s likely some value in considering the Marlins on the moneyline at -112.
Best Bet: Marlins moneyline (-112)
Atlanta Braves (-124) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (+106) Total: 7.5 (O -106, U -114)The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies will continue a three-game series tonight from Citizens Bank Ballpark. The home side opened up the series with a 6-4 victory last night, snapping a small losing skid, while the Braves have lost two in a row and are 6-4 over their past ten. The Phillies are 4-6 over that same sample size and will look to string together victories as they continue to chase down a Wild Card position in the National League. These two NL East rivals tend to bring out the best in one another, which means targeting this matchup has a lot of appeal. With a pitching matchup worthy of eyeballs set to go down, this should be a matchup that merits consideration from a betting perspective.
The opening contest in this series saw ten runs scored, and tonight’s second game has the total currently set at 7.5. That shouldn’t be a surprise, with two high-quality arms set to go toe-to-toe. Atlanta is expected to send star rookie Spencer Strider to the mound, while the Phillies will counter with Aaron Nola. Strider has been a key part of the Braves pitching staff, owning a 4-3 record with a 3.03 ERA and 114 strikeouts, while Nola is 6-7 with a 3.13 ERA and 137 strikeouts. This pitching duel should be great, but it also could favor the visitors, with multiple Braves batters having a history of success against the Phillies right-hander. Nola has been better than Strider over their past seven starts, but both have been consistent with their offerings.
Strider has looked good in a limited sample size against the Phillies, and this should be a matchup where he can continue to find success. Before last night, the Phillies’ offense had been up and down, and this should be another poor matchup for them, meaning looking towards the Braves on the moneyline at -124 makes a lot of sense.
Best Bet: Braves moneyline (-124)
