Braves vs. Giants prediction, odds, pick, how to watch

The Atlanta Braves take on the San Francisco Giants. Our MLB odds series has our Braves Giants prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Braves Giants.

The San Francisco Giants had held the No. 2 wild card position in the National League for a few weeks, but after a rough road trip, they are currently on the outside looking in. The Giants trail the Chicago Cubs by one game for the second wild card berth and the Arizona Diamondbacks by half a game for the third wild card position. San Francisco is tied with the Cincinnati Reds and leads the Miami Marlins by 1.5 games. All told, five National League wild card contenders are separated by 2.5 games. The Cubs are seven games over .500, Arizona six, the Giants and Reds five over, and Miami two over. The top two teams out of those five will get wild card berths. The lower three will stay home, barring an unlikely collapse by the Phillies or an even more unlikely surge by the Padres.

It is crucial for the Giants to at least maintain their position so that they don't fall three or four games behind this pack of teams. Falling three games back won't just create a larger deficit; it means the Giants would have to climb past more teams in September and therefore rely on more out-of-town scores to break their way. That reality makes this weekend series against the Atlanta Braves — the team with the best record in baseball — even more urgent for San Francisco.

Here are the Braves-Giants MLB odds,

MLB Odds: Braves-Giants Odds

Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+116)

San Francisco Giants: +1.5 (-140)

Over: 7.5 (+100)

Under: 7.5 (-122)

How To Watch Braves vs. Giants

For the inside story on the 24 people banned from MLB, listen below:

TV: Bally Sports South (Braves) / NBC Sports Bay Area (Giants) / MLB Extra Innings

Stream: ESPN Plus

Time: 10:15 p.m. ET/7:15 p.m. PT

*Watch Braves-Giants LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread

The Braves have not hit all that well this week. Their bats were contained by the Giants this past Sunday in a loss. They didn't hit the New York Mets particularly hard in a midweek series. Austin Riley and Matt Olson haven't loaded up on homers in recent games. It's as though these elite hitters hit a lull at the three-quarter mark of their season. Given that slump, and given that the Braves had a day off on Thursday, this team might be rested and mentally fresh as it begins a Western road swing. You should see a better hitting approach from the Braves in this game. If they crunch a few homers and get back to their mashing ways, they should win. They also have Spencer Strider pitching for them. He dominated the Giants a week ago and obviously has a great chance to do so again. If he's on, Strider is hard to hit with his high velocity offerings and late movement in and out of the strike zone.

Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread

The Giants have Logan Webb on the hill. San Francisco's ace has continuously delivered the goods this season. His best pitching performance of the whole year probably came a few weeks ago versus the powerful Texas Rangers. Texas is one of the best hitting and best scoring teams in baseball. Webb shut out the Rangers in 8 2/3 innings before allowing a hit which turned into a run when San Francisco closer Camilo Doval could not prevent an inherited runner from scoring. If Webb can dominate the Rangers, he can dominate the Braves, who are in the same elite class as a bunch of hitters and run producers. Also, as poorly as the Giants hit Spencer Strider the last time out, the odds are that Strider won't be nearly as effective this time.

Final Braves-Giants Prediction & Pick

The Braves are clearly the better team, but Strider is unlikely to dominate them the way he did a week ago. Plus, Logan Webb is excellent. This is a game to stay away from.

Final Braves-Giants Prediction & Pick: Giants +1.5