The Braves make the trip to Seattle to face the Mariners! These two teams are both playing well to start the year with the Braves being the best team in the NL and the Mariners gaining momentum. Our MLB odds series has our Braves-Mariners prediction, odds, and pick for Wednesday.

The Braves have come out very strong to open the season. They are 19-8 and have won five of their last seven games. They have the best offense in the MLB up to this point in the season. Their pitching has also been great this season too. Max Fried, Reynaldo Lopez, Chris Sale, and Charlie Morton have all had varying levels of success up to this point. On offense, Marcell Ozuna has dominated at the plate early on for Atlanta, with Orlando Arcia, Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Austin Riley, and Michael Harris II all not far behind. The Braves are playing like the best team in the NL already with their combination of offense and defense and they still have a long way to go for the rest of the year.

The Mariners have been on a hot streak recently to get to 16-13 so far on the year, winning four of their last five games. The Mariners have struggled behind the plate to start the season, but their pitching staff is a top-10 unit in the MLB. Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, Mitch Haniger, Jorge Polanco, and J. P. Crawford are standouts for the offense despite its struggles up to this point in the season. Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, and Bryce Miller have all been at varying levels of great for the Mariners on the mound. This is an interesting matchup because the Braves have been great on offense.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Braves-Mariners Odds

Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+100)

Moneyline: -164

Seattle Mariners: +1.5 (-120)

Moneyline: +138

Over: 8 (-105)

Under: 8 (-115)

How to Watch Braves vs. Mariners

Time: 3:40 pm ET

TV: Bally Sports Southwest / ROOT Sports

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Braves Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Braves are going with Chris Sale to start on the mound. He has a 3-1 record, a 3.69 ERA, and a 0.92 WHIP. He has allowed 13 runs on 22 hits with seven walks and 33 strikeouts through 31.2 innings. He has appeared in five total games so far this season and the Braves are 3-2 in those games. In his last start, he pitched seven innings allowing one run on two hits with one walk and six strikeouts. Last season, Sale was solid for the Red Sox with a 6-5 record, a 4.30 ERA, and a 1.13 WHIP. Sale has been great for the Braves this season and gets a decent matchup against an inconsistent Mariners offense.

The Braves offense has been great and is the second-best in the MLB so far up to this point in the season. They currently have a .272 after finishing atop the league with a .276 batting average last year. Marcell Ozuna has been incredible for the Braves to open the season. Ozuna leads the way in batting average at .340, in home runs at nine, in RBI at 31, and in OBP at .416 and in total hits at 34. The Braves offense can compete with anyone in the league and this is a good matchup for them against Emerson Hancock on the mound.

Why The Mariners Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Mariners are putting Emerson Hancock on the mound where he has a 3-2 record, a 5.06 ERA, and a 1.13 WHIP. Through 26.2 innings, he has allowed 16 runs on 25 hits with five walks, and 19 strikeouts. In his five appearances this season, the Mariners are 3-2 in those games. In his last start, he pitched 6.0 innings and allowed one run on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts in a Mariners win. Hancock was solid last season in just a few appearances with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.

The Mariners have talent on offense, but they have not started the season playing well behind the plate. They are 28th in batting average at .216 after finishing last season with a .242 batting average. Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, Jorge Polanco, and Mitch Haniger lead the way for the Mariners in most of the batting categories. Rodriguez leads the way in batting average at .265 and in total hits at 30. Raleigh then leads in home runs at six while Haniger then leads the way in RBI at 18, and Jorge Polanco leads the way at .316. This offense has a tough matchup against Sale on the mound for the Braves.

Final Braves-Mariners Prediction & Pick

The Braves lost the first game of this series, but they are still the better team. They have more talent on offense behind the plate and they have the better pitcher in this spot in Chris sale when compared to Emerson Hancock. The Braves should cover and win despite the game being on the road, to get back on track.

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Final Braves-Mariners Prediction & Pick: Braves +1.5 (+100)