Padres vs. Braves May 14 Betting: Morton, Braves to even series in Atlanta

Last night, the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves combined for 17 runs and 28 hits as the Padres outlasted the Braves 11-6 at Truist Park.

Tonight, there should be a few less fireworks than there were in the series opener. Then again, last night’s slugfest, which featured four homers and five doubles combined, seemed an unlikely outcome with Yu Darvish and Max Fried on the mound and only two runs on the board between the two teams through four innings.

In tonight’s matchup, the Braves will seek to even the series with Charlie Morton on the mound opposite Sean Manaea. Morton had a rough start this season, but he had his best start of the season last time out. Manaea, meanwhile, is looking to continue a fairly decent start in San Diego, though results have not been on his side recently.

San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves May 14 Betting Odds and Matchup Information

Matchup Information

• Matchup: San Diego Padres (21-12, t-1st in the NL West) vs. Atlanta Braves (15-18, 3rd in the NL East)
• Venue & Location: Truist Park (Atlanta, Georgia)
• Date: Saturday, May 14, 2022
• Time: 4:05 p.m. Eastern Time
• How to Watch Today’s Padres vs. Braves Game: Fox Sports 1

Padres vs. Braves Probable Starting Pitching Matchup for Today

• San Diego Padres: Sean Manaea (2022: 6 starts, 2-3 W-L, 3.75 ERA)
• Atlanta Braves: Charlie Morton (2022: 6 starts, 2-3 W-L, 5.65 ERA)

Today’s Padres vs. Braves Betting Odds

Odds are via BetOnline.

Moneyline

• San Diego Padres +128
• Atlanta Braves -152

Over/Under

• OVER 8 (-112)
• UNDER 8 (-108)

Run Line

• San Diego Padres +1.5 (-170)
• Atlanta Braves -1.5 (+140)

Will Morton Build Off of Breakthrough Start?

After playing a key role in helping the Braves get to the World Series last year, Morton suffered a fibula fracture in Game 1 of the Fall Classic against the Houston Astros.

As a result, he made only one Spring Training appearance before the new season started. That may well have not been one of the major reasons he did not start this season well, but the lack of preseason preparation could not have helped either.

In his first five starts, Morton compiled a 1-3 record and a 6.85 ERA, and he allowed 28 hits, 19 runs (18 earned), and 14 walks in just 23.2 innings. After going 14-6 with a 3.34 ERA in 33 starts and posting a 3.24 ERA in four postseason starts, it was quite the disappointing start for the veteran.

But he may be turning the corner heading into his start against the Padres, as he had his best start of the season last Sunday against the Brewers. In Atlanta’s 9-2 win over Milwaukee, he tossed five shutout innings and struck out five, and he allowed only two hits and three walks.

If trends from last season hold true, Morton is set for another solid outing in this matchup. In 2021, he had five scoreless, five-plus inning outings. In the starts that followed those outings, he posted a 2.60 ERA and a 2-0 record in five starts.

Morton has had his best starts this season at Truist Park as well. In his other decent start this season, he allowed just two runs, two hits, and just one walk (a season low) in 5.1 innings in a 7-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Since the All-Star break last year, Morton has posted a 2.72 ERA in nine home starts (regular season games only).

San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves May 14 Prediction and Best Bets

Padres vs. Braves Prediction: Braves to win

Padres vs. Braves Best Bets: Braves ML (-141) and OVER 8 (-104) – both at BetUS

While it was certainly disappointing to let last night’s game get away from them after rallying to take a 6-4 lead, the Braves are a good bet to even up the series this afternoon.

This season, Atlanta is 11-6 following a loss, which is the fourth-best mark in the National League. And dating back to the start of the 2018 season, the Dodgers (142-87, 62.0) are the only team with a better win percentage than the Braves (155-108, 58.9 percent) do in games following a loss.

Also, there may not be 17 runs today, trends also favor the over at Truist Park. The over is 10-6 in the Padres’ 16 road games this season, which puts them second in the majors behind the Washington Nationals. On the other side, the over is 11-6-2 in the Braves’ 19 home games, which puts them fifth in the majors behind the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, and Cleveland Guardians.

If you don’t want to risk getting a push, you can back the over 7.5 at -122 at BetUS, which is still decent value when you consider the aforementioned trends and the fact that you can get the same bet for -140 at BetOnline.