Detroit Tigers at Atlanta Braves
Over/Under: 9
First pitch: 10:20 a.m. PT
Probable pitchers: Matthew Boyd (5-4, 2.85 ERA) vs. Julio Teheran (3-4, 3.53 ERA)
Surely, Boyd deserves more respect than this from the linesmakers. Not only is he one of the hottest pitchers right now, he’s also been one of the league’s most consistent thus far in the campaign, indicating the extensive roll he’s on is no fluke at all.
Yet here he is about to pitch in a National League park with an over/under as high as 9 — against a fine counterpart like Teheran, who also has been terrific as of late.
Boyd is Detroit’s likely lone representative in this year’s Midsummer Classic thanks to an awesome April and May. He’s limited his opponents to three earned runs or fewer while going at least five innings in all but one of his 12 assignments and he’s arguably been at his best of late. The 28-year-old is currently working on a 12-inning scoreless streak after putting up only zeroes across his last two starts.
For the season, Boyd actually ranks in the top-20 in the Majors in ERA (2.85), WHIP (1.02), K/9 (10.90), K/BB (5.87) and batting average against (.218).
As I found out the hard way in my push on Tuesday, the Braves can be dangerous at any time with its world-beating lineup. However, Boyd will not be seeing them at full strength, being an early Sunday game that will see a couple of regulars sitting.
The other starter in this series finale, Teheran, has also looked great lately in his own right. In fact, in each of his last five assignments, the nine-year veteran has yielded no more than a single run while pitching Atlanta into at least the sixth inning.
Just a quality start from Teheran would do the trick here, making this a solid bet considering the run he’s on and the offense he’ll be facing. Even when healthy, Detroit’s one of the lesser-intimidating club’s at the plate in baseball and are only further downgraded following Miguel Cabrera’s injury. Play: UNDER 9 (EV)
Yesterday’s Result: Angels-Mariners Under 9 (Push)
Zylbert’s 2019 MLB Over/Under Betting Record*: 32-27-6, +2 units
*Each bet graded as if it were to win 1 unit