The Atlanta Braves (89-73) clinched a postseason berth on Monday evening after one of the most wild afternoons in regular season baseball history. In Game 1, the Mets (89-73) and Braves combined for 15 runs in the final three innings.
The heroics of Francisco Lindor led the Mets to a victory, which allowed them to rest most of their high-leverage arms and a couple of regular starters for the entirety of Game 2. Meanwhile, the Braves won’t have ace Chris Sale for the Wild Card Series, as he's been dealing with back spasms.
The Braves have a quick turnaround and must fly across the country to take on the Padres (93-69). The Padres are one of the hottest teams in baseball, and many say they are the biggest threat to the Dodgers in the NL.
AJ Smith-Shawver is the projected starter for the Braves. He spent most of the season in Triple-A and has one career playoff start, a 2 2/3 innings outing against the Phillies last season.
Michael King gets the ball for the Padres, who have been spectacular in 2024. Oddsmakers have the Padres as -175 favorites on the moneyline. The total is 7.5.
I compiled a 3-leg same-game parlay for tonight's game that pays roughly 6-1. Here are the legs:
John Feltman's Padres vs Braves MLB Picks, Parlay — Game 2
- San Diego Padres -0.5 F5 Innings (-120)
- Michael King Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-120)
- Fernando Tatis over 1.5 Total Bases (-110)
Parlay Odds: +583 (FanDuel)
Remember to bet responsibly — this is a long shot for a reason.
San Diego Padres -0.5 F5 Innings (-120)
Braves vs Padres, 8:38 p.m. ET
The Padres are the hottest team in the National League and possibly in all of baseball. If it wasn’t for their slow start, they could’ve made a case to win the NL West.
Tonight, the Padres are in an excellent situational spot. The Braves played two extremely emotional games in Atlanta yesterday and had to fly across the country immediately. Michael King has been outstanding for the Padres in his first year in San Diego. King brings a ton of electric stuff to the table and should be able to mow down an exhausted Atlanta team.
The price is far too good to pass up, and I think the Padres will grab an early lead through five innings.
Michael King Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-120)
Braves vs Padres, 8:38 p.m. ET
Michael King has a tremendous matchup tonight against the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are bottom 10 in strikeouts per game, and King struck out 201 hitters over 174 innings during the regular season. He possesses a 28% strikeout rate, a 29% whiff rate and a 31% chase rate.
I expect King to go deep into this game, which should give him plenty of time to record six strikeouts.
Fernando Tatis over 1.5 Total Bases (-110)
Braves vs Padres, 8:38 p.m. ET
It is more than likely that Fernando Tatís Jr. will be facing the Braves bullpen for most of the night. The Braves won’t have many of their high-leverage relievers available, and because of that, I like this matchup even more for Tatis. He was out for a while with a hip injury, but returned in September and swatted seven home runs. He is undoubtedly one of the best hitters in baseball and ranks above the 95th percentile in many offensive metrics. I expect him to get at least an extra-base hit in tonight’s game.
