After a difficult start by Landon Knack, the Los Angeles Dodgers now want to turn things around and even the score in this important series against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.

The Braves will send Chris Sale to the mound again here, even though the 35-year-old is coming off a Cy Young-level season. The Dodgers counter with the talented Jack Flaherty, who has continued to build his career in Los Angeles.

Find out why I think the Dodgers can beat Sale in my Dodgers vs. Braves predictions and MLB picks for Saturday, September 14.

Dodgers vs. Braves Prediction

My best bet
Dodgers Moneyline (+115 at BetMGM)

My analysis

Both Chris Sale and Jack Flaherty have performed excellently this year and while Sale was clearly the better pitcher of the two, Flaherty has rewrote the history of his career after finding a solution in Detroit earlier this season.

They both pitched effectively to contact, with Sale relying a little more on ground balls, but the most important thing for both of them was strikeouts. With a strike rate of over 30%, they are firmly in the elite rankings.

There may be a small window of opportunity here for the Los Angeles Dodgers, however, considering Sale began to falter slightly in August with a flurry of hits and some low strikeout numbers before rebounding this month against the weaker Colorado Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays.

His xBA rose to .253 last month as hitters were able to score in 28.1% of at-bats, and while that number started trending downward again in September, his xSLG rose to a worrying .393.

The Dodgers have been smoking the ball lately, posting a .199 ISO with an excellent .271 average over the past two weeks. While they haven’t allowed as many walks as we’re used to, they’ve continued to limit strikeouts and seem to be getting stronger the more they’ve swung the bat.

The Atlanta Braves, meanwhile, have struggled to recover offensively after several serious injuries and are 26th in wRC+ for the last 14 days. Friday’s offensive outburst only moved them up one spot in the rankings.

The Braves’ biggest problem has been a power outage that has left them with a .101 ISO. Their batting average is .222 while several big hitters in the heart of the lineup are looking for answers.

Flaherty’s only real problems in a Dodger uniform have been walks, and this team doesn’t exactly show a lot of patience at the plate. He should have the upper hand in this pitcher’s duel, and while under certainly plays a role here, the Dodgers have the edge.

Selection of Shohei Ohtani: Ohtani stayed away from the base

My best bet
Shohei Ohtani under 1.5 H+R+RBI (-125 at DraftKings)

My analysis

Shohei Ohtani has only faced Sale three times in his career, hitting what appears to be a lucky double considering his .101 xBA and one strikeout. He has managed to post a .271 batting average against lefties, but that pales in comparison to his .301 average against righties. There’s also a massive 235-point SLG drop in the platoon split.

That makes the decision difficult considering Ohtani’s strikeout rate is 1.5 and he’s only had multiple strikeouts once in his last eight games, during a rough stretch in which he hit .250.

We also can’t bet the under here on Ohtani’s total bases, which is up to almost -200, so I’m going with the hits + runs + RBI market since that shouldn’t include many runs and Ohtani shouldn’t be on base much given his issues against Sale and left-handed hitters overall.

Dodgers vs. Braves – Same Game Combo (SGP)

Dodger Money Line

Shohei Ohtani Under 1.5 total bases

Jack Flaherty 6+ Strikeouts

This is another example of the oddity of same-game parlay betting, as we get a nice bonus by betting the under on Ohtani, but get better odds on this Flaherty strikeout bet than the under on his earned runs, which is much cheaper.

I believe Flaherty will get six strikeouts for the third straight game and eighth time in 10 games. Atlanta had a massive strikeout problem in the second half, and while they’ve dropped their punchout rate to just under 22% over the last two weeks, that’s still a tough number to hit when you’re hoping for contact.

Additionally, the Braves’ inability to get walks should mean more swings and a better chance for Flaherty, who will be crawling around the zone looking for strikeouts.

The right-hander is still in the top 10% of all pitchers in whiff rate, and Atlanta ranks eighth worst in swinging strike rate over the last 14 days.

Learn how to bet on the same game in an accumulator bet with these helpful tips and strategies.

Dodgers vs Braves odds

Dodgers vs Braves Live Odds

Dodgers vs. Braves Opening Odds

• Money line: Los Angeles +113 | Atlanta -122
• Execute line: Los Angeles +1.5 (-205) | Atlanta -1.5 (+170)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-110) | Under 7.5 (-110)

Dodgers vs Braves Moneyline and Over/Under Analysis

• The Braves started here as favorites on the moneyline at -116 and have settled back down to around -125 after being pushed down to -130.
• While 53% of moneyline bets on DraftKings are placed on LA, 68% of tickets are placed on the underdogs.
• The total remains at the opening line of 7.5 runs after a brief detour to 8, and there has continued to be some activity towards the under.
• “Over” accounted for 48% of tickets but only 26% of sales.

Dodgers vs. Braves trend

Flaherty has recorded at least six strikeouts in five of seven starts with the Dodgers. Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Braves here.

Game info Dodgers vs Braves

Dodgers vs Braves – latest injuries

Dodgers vs. Braves Weather

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