Pinnacle -1½ +138 ET365 -1½ +135 Sportsinteraction -1½ +135 888Sport -1½ +135

Posted at 12:00 PM EST. Odds subject to change.

NL Wild Card

San Diego -1½ +135 over Atlanta

8:38 PM EST. Given the dire circumstances by which the Braves arrived at this point, it was unclear who they were going to hand the ball to to start Game 1. In the event you opted out of baseball’s version of snorting cocaine while riding a motorcycle out of a helicopter yesterday and missed the news, Chris Sale is unavailable because of back spasms and isn’t expected to pitch at all in this series. The team was left with Ian Anderson (RHP - ATL), AJ Smith-Shawver, and Bryce Elder and ultimately chose to go with Anderson. Say what? Anderson’s skills have collapsed and he hasn’t thrown in the majors since 2022. This is akin to choosing skim milk when you don’t have any other choice.

Michael King (RHP - SD) has been a boon for San Diego, outpacing his peripherals this year (4.05 xERA) on the back of a killer sinker-sweeper combo that keeps hitters off balance thanks to some killer horizontal traits from a whippy, three-quarters arm slot. He has generated feast-or-famine results at times this year but has been nails lately. In four September starts, he posted a 1.57 ERA and his lowest walk rate of the year while going at least five innings each time out. He’s only gotten stronger as the season has gone on. Massive, massive edge to the Friars in the starting pitching department.

As for the ‘pens, well, these are two of the best arm barns in the league. Atlanta uses sheer force to fuel strikeouts and limit walks, but will likely be without Raisel Iglesias, who threw in each game of yesterday’s double-header. So did Joe Jimenez. Plus, Grant Holmes has covered 5.1innings in the last two days. If they can’t get length out of their starter, which they won’t, they might find themselves backed against a wall, hoping they happen to throw up the right hand signal to help them escape trouble. Short of falling into the subplot of a 90s sitcom, they might just have to keep running through it all.

The only Padre pitcher who should be unavailable today is Matt Waldron, who threw 94 pitches as the long man on Sunday. Otherwise, every relevant arm they have is working on at least three days’ rest, including their go-to end-game options in Robert Suarez and Tanner Scott. Suarez has never thrown harder in his career?—his average fastball clocks in at 99. As for Scott, this is the best version we’ve seen of him as a big leaguer, as he finished the year with a career-best 1.75 ERA.

Much like the Mets, Atlanta, too, is coming off a doubleheader in which emotions were high and they didn’t even clinch a playoff spot until the final out of Game 2. Emotionally, and physically, especially in the pitching department, the Braves are in big trouble here and we’re all over it.

Sherwood

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Arizona     -150

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Detroit    +134

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