The Cleveland Guardians (63-57) and Atlanta Braves (53-68) will face off in the MLB tonight. First pitch from Progressive Field is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. The game will broadcast live on FDSSO.
Cleveland is a -120 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Atlanta is +100 to pull off the upset. The over/under is set at 8.5 total runs.
Continue below for my Braves vs Guardians predictions and MLB picks for Friday, August 15, as well as probable pitchers, betting trends, injury reports and more.
My Braves vs Guardians Prediction
- Braves vs Guardians pick: Braves First Five Innings Moneyline (-105)
My Guardians vs. Braves best bet is on Atlanta to win the first five innings, with the best price currently available at BetMGM. But as always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Braves vs Guardians Odds
| Braves Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -210 | 8.5 -120o / +100u | +100 |
| Guardians Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +175 | 8.5 -120o / +100u | -120 |
Braves vs Guardians Preview, Picks
I'm grabbing Atlanta as a first five innings underdog tonight.
This line will likely trend toward the Braves, and there's a chance they're favorites by game time, particularly once the Ronald Acuna Jr. news comes out.
The Braves have been a top 10 offense against lefties since the start of June, ranking 9th in wOBA and 8th in wRC+.
They've done that without Acuna Jr. for the past couple weeks after he went down with a calf strain.
Acuna flew to Cleveland on Thursday ahead of this series, which is a strong indication he'll be activated for tonight's game.
Joey Cantillo has been solid in a hybrid role this season, but this is shaping up to be a challenging matchup.
Hurston Waldrep has been great in his first two starts, allowing one earned run in each outing.
It's a big turnaround compared to the two awful starts he made as a rookie.
The sample size isn't huge, but Waldrep's arsenal has been completely different in his 2nd MLB stint.
After leading with a 4-seamer in 2024 (39.8% usage), he's now prioritizing a sinker (21.5% usage) and cutter (14.6% usage).
Waldrep has cut the 4-seam usage down to 9.2%. Ditching a bad 4-seamer for better fastball alternatives is a viable strategy, as we've also seen with Joey Wentz since he joined the Braves.
Braves vs Guardians Best Bet
- Braves F5 ML (-105)
