MLB Betting Picks – Atlanta Braves at New York Yankees April 21
Two teams expected to contend for a World Series appearance and a MLB title have gotten off to slow starts in the 2021 season. The Atlanta Braves will attempt to split the interleague series after dropping the opener 3-1 to the New York Yankees on Tuesday. The Bombers snapped a five-game losing streak in the process and will send former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber to the bump going for the sweep. Losers in six of their last nine games, the Braves counter with righty Ian Anderson. Bookmaker.eu offers a generous welcome bonus (max bonus $1600).
The game will air live on ESPN with betting options for every game on the 2021 MLB schedule available at BookMaker.eu.
Atlanta Braves at New York Yankees
Date and Time: Wednesday, April 21, 2021, 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Probable Pitchers: Ian Anderson vs. Corey Kluber
Opening MLB Odds: Atlanta +105, New York -125, O/U 9
Braves at Yankees TV Coverage: ESPN
Odds Analysis
It’s been a rough beginning for both clubs, but at least they have a full 162-game slate to get things turned around. That’s a lot more comforting than the 60-game sprint last year. Maybe the clubs know that and are using the time to round into form. Or maybe they just aren’t as good as the prognosticators thought. The bottom line is that it’s way too early in the season and both teams will probably be right where most expect when September rolls around.
Wins in April count just the same in the standings as they do later in the campaign. And the Yankees desperately needed one after dropping five straight. “We got kicked in the mouth a little bit last week. I think it was kind of an eye-opener for us. But we’ve got a bunch of grinders. We’ve got guys that want to win like I’ve never been on a team that wants to win so bad,” reliever Justin Wilson said. The Yankees got plenty of help from the Atlanta bullpen in breaking the losing streak. It wasn’t an offensive onslaught that led to their 3-1 win on Tuesday, but maybe breaking the slump can help awaken the bats.
Again it’s still early, but the Yanks have struggled at the plate. They were limited to five hits on Tuesday and their team average is just above the Mendoza Line. They rank in the bottom third in MLB in most significant offensive stat categories, including home runs, which is why the UNDER is 9-6 in their 15 games.
Probable Pitchers
The Braves send Ian Anderson (0-0, 4.70 ERA) to the hill trying to spilt the two-game series. It’s been a rough go for the righty who enjoyed so much success after joining the club last season. He’s surrendered three homers and eight earned runs in 15.1 innings over three starts this season. He allowed just one and seven in those respective categories over 32.1 frames last year.
Anderson was roughed up for 11 hits and seven runs in his last two starts, but the Braves offense bailed him out by scoring 12 runs combined in those games. Those were both home contests. His best start came on the road on Apr. 4 when he held the Phillies to four hits and one run with seven strikeouts over five innings. He’s facing the Yankees for the first time and starting an interleague game for the second time in his brief career.
After two wasted seasons, Corey Kluber (0-1, 6.10 ERA) is attempting a comeback of sorts. He appeared in eight games the previous two seasons pitching a total of 36.2 innings. The Yankees will likely have a longer leash than normal as the former Cy Young winner tries to find his stuff after injury bouts. It’s been a struggle early on, though. Kluber hasn’t lasted more than four innings in any of his three starts and he’s lacking velocity and bite on his curveball that made him one of the most feared hurlers in the game not that long ago.
After an impressive first outing when he allowed one earned run with five punchouts in 4.0 innings against Toronto, he’s yielded six earned on 11 hits across 6.1 innings in his last two outings. Kluber says he feels fine and it’s just a matter of time before things start clicking. He’ll face a tough Braves lineup on Wednesday.
Injury Report
Atlanta’s lineup took a hit when Ronald Acuna Jr. sustained an abdominal injury on Sunday. He was off to a blistering start hitting .419 with seven homers and 16 RBIs through 16 games. during the game he got hurt the Braves scored 13 runs on 14 hits. He sat out the opener of this series and the club managed just one run. His absence wasn’t the only reason why, but it was a major factor. And Acuna is likely to miss Wednesday’s matchup.
Bet Braves at Yankees at BookMaker.eu
It’s hard to imagine two potent offensive clubs struggling all season. They will break out at some point and starters that haven’t enjoyed a lot of success could be the spark. Because of that I’m leaning on the OVER and I like Kluber to find a groove sooner rather than later.
MLB Score Prediction: Yankees 6, Braves 4
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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com
