The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds are making history at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 2, by playing at Bristol Motor Speedway—marking the first MLB game ever played in the state of Tennessee. There are some major names showing up for the spectacle, including Pitbull and Tim McGraw for the pre-game concert as well as Hall of Famers Chipper Jones and Johnny Bench for the first pitch.
The first two games of the Braves-Reds series were each decided by one run. Atlanta won a wild 12-11 affair on Thursday that saw each team score eight runs in the eighth inning. The Reds tied up the series with a 3-2 triumph on Friday, and now the two will play the deciding game of the series on Saturday night from the famous racetrack.
Each team will be sending out a starting pitcher that has been racking up major strikeout numbers of late. Braves righty Spencer Strider (5-8, 3.71 ERA) has punched out at least seven batters in three of his past four starts. While Reds starter Chase Burns has an ugly record (0-3) and ERA (6.26), he has struck out 10 hitters in three consecutive outings.
Both pitchers have higher strikeout props for Saturday night’s affair at FanDuel Sportsbook, with Burns set at 7.5 (Over +118, Under -150) and Strider residing at 6.5 (Over -180, Under +134).
In addition to a loaded 15-game MLB slate, Saturday also features a major WNBA matchup and a solid UFC Fight Night card. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet at the top sportsbooks on Saturday, August 2. All times Eastern.
MLB best bets today, where to watch
Braves at Reds
Time: 7:15 p.m. | Location: Bristol Motor Speedway (Tennessee) | TV: FOX | Stream: Fubo (Start watching, save $20!)
SportsLine picks — Model picks: Reds money line (+102), Chase Burns Under 7.5 strikeouts (-154)
Cincinnati has lost five consecutive games that Burns started; however, the SportsLine Projection Model sees value with the underdog Reds in the MLB Speedway Classic. After 10,000 simulations, the Reds come away with the victory 53% of the time, bringing value to their +103 money line odds.
There are also four player prop bets that have received the highest recommendation (5 stars out of 5 stars) from the SportsLine Projection Model, and we’ll share here that one of them is Under 7.5 strikeouts for Burns. Even with the Under heavily juiced, the SportsLine Projection Model has only calculated 5.9 strikeouts for Burns in tonight’s outing for a sizable edge.
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UFC best bets today, where to watch
UFC Fight Night: Taira vs. Park
Time: 9 p.m. (main card) | Location: Las Vegas | TV: ESPN+ | Stream: Fubo (Start watching, save $20!)
SportsLine expert pick — Daniel Vithlani: Chris Duncan (+182) to defeat Mateusz Rebecki
UFC returns to Las Vegas, and an intriguing main event between flyweight contenders Tatsuro Taira (16-1) and Hyunsung Park (10-0) headlines the card. Despite Park coming in with an undefeated record, he is a +275 underdog, whereas Taira is the heavy -340 favorite.
One of SportsLine UFC expert Daniel Vithlani’s top plays for UFC Fight Night is also on the main card, in a lightweight bout between Mateusz Rebecki and Chris Duncan. Vithlani is rolling with the underdog Duncan in this fight, saying that, “I don’t think Duncan is a fighter that [Rebecki’s] style will work against. Duncan is a strong wrestler training out of the American Top Team gym and has continued to refine his MMA skills.”
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Looking ahead: Tigers at Phillies
Time: Sunday, 7 p.m. | Location: Philadelphia | TV: ESPN | Fubo (Start watching, save $20!)
Two of the top World Series contenders square off on Sunday Night Baseball, as the Tigers face the Phillies. At FanDuel Sportsbook, the Phillies have the second-lowest World Series odds at +800 (only behind the Dodgers at +230), while the Tigers are tied for the fourth-shortest World Series odds at +1000 with the Mets. Philadelphia will be trotting out southpaw Cristopher Sanchez (9-3, 2.55 ERA), whereas Detroit will be countering with Troy Melton (1-1, 4.50).
