San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 6/21/2022

Time: 7:20 p.m. ET

Venue: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

Where to watch: TBS

DraftKings: NL

BetMGM: NL

Caesars: NL

Giants: 37-29

Braves: 39-29

What a way for the Atlanta Braves to remind folks that they're not completely off the rails. All it would take is a win against the San Francisco Giants, and bingo bango bongo, things translate into a walk-off 2-1 win for the defending champs in the first game of this series on Monday.

Game 2 is on Tuesday, and I think it might be fair to expect more of the same from Monday. A lot of pitching duels, a lot of clutch hitting, and a lot of excitement not happening until the later innings. But Travis d'Arnaud hit another home run -- literally feels like every game, the Braves catcher is hitting dingers -- and the Braves were well on their way to a good win by way of Max Fried's dominant performance.

Austin Slater, however, got the best of the Atlanta bullpen with an RBI single to tie the game, but it was Orlando Arcia with the walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth. He drove in Phil Gosselin for the winning run.

“I took those first two fastballs for balls," he said. “Honestly all I was trying to do was put the ball in play. Everybody in the dugout was giving me encouragement. I saw (Marcell) Ozuna at first base doing the same thing. All the other guys were rallying around me."

“He has won a few games for us," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “Just his at-bats are always under control. That was a big one tonight."

Arcia recorded his second walk-off hit this season and fifth in his career. Clearly, with the game on the line, he's finding ways to win games. And given how Logan Webb was pitching for the Giants, some clutch hitting was needed. Webb, the Giants' ace, also went seven innings and struck out seven while throwing 107 pitches.

But Fried, who has turned into the Braves' ace this season, struck out eight in seven innings while only allowing five hits. If you're going to beat the Giants, you need your best pitchers to bring their best stuff. That's exactly what Fried did.

“I think we were like one excellent at-bat away from winning this game," Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “I know we had a lot of opportunities to win it against a guy who is clearly one of the best pitchers in baseball. Webbie obviously matched him kind of pitch for pitch, in position to win a game on the road against an excellent team. We can take some good, positive signals away from that, but we have to finish."

After losing two to the Chicago Cubs and ending their 14-game winning streak, things have turned up a bit for the Braves with two straight wins, including this one against a team that they needed to beat. Sure, the Giants aren't the world-beaters they were last year, but surely they're going to be competitive.

Now, the Braves have won 16 of 18 and are just 5.5 games back of the first-place New York Mets. That race continues to get more exciting as we go along.

“They won the World Series," Webb said. “They're no joke and they might've gotten even better. Tonight kind of had the playoff feel to it, for sure. It's always fun playing against a team like this."

The Giants will have a better chance to rebound with Anthony DeSclafani taking the mound. He's only had one decision this season, but he'll be primed to get back to form. He'll be taking on Spencer Strider, the 23-year-old right-hander who is off to a 3-2 start with an impressive 2.45 ERA so far.

I think it might be problematic to take the Braves in back-to-back games, but I really like the way they're playing right now. Atlanta can win in a multitude of ways, and we're starting to be reminded why they're the defending champs. Braves win 5-3

Giants are 84-61 on the road the past three seasons.

Giants are 34-22 against NL East teams the past three seasons.

Giants are 16-8 on the road the past three seasons when DeSclafani starts.

Braves are 91-64 at home the past three seasons.

Giants:
Luis Gonzalez (L) RF
Mike Yastrzemski (L) CF
Wilmer Flores (R) 3B
Joc Pederson (L) LF
Brandon Belt (L) DH
Thairo Estrada (R) 2B
Tommy La Stella (L) 1B
Brandon Crawford (L) SS
Austin Wynns (R) C
SP - Anthony DeSclafani

Braves:
Ronald Acuna Jr. (R) RF
Dansby Swanson (R) SS
Austin Riley (R) 3B
Matt Olson (L) 1B
Travis d'Arnaud (R) C
William Contreras (R) DH
Adam Duvall (R) LF
Phil Gosselin (R) 2B
Michael Harris II (L) CF
SP - Spencer Strider

Batting average: Thairo Estrada -- .264

Home runs: Joc Pederson -- 14

RBI: Joc Pederson -- 36

Wins: Two tied -- 6

ERA: Carlos Rodon -- 2.84

Batting average: Dansby Swanson -- .293

Home runs: Austin Riley -- 18

RBI: Austin Riley -- 41

Wins: Two tied -- 7

ERA: Max Fried -- 2.90