Zach Thompson runs through his three best bets, picks and predictions for Sunday night’s Braves at Phillies matchup.

As Major League Baseball closes out a busy Sunday of action and puts the finishing touches on a great month of August, the Sunday Night Baseball spotlight is on an NL East matchup between the Phillies and the Braves. The Phillies are looking to finish off a four-game sweep of the Braves, after crushing them 19-4 on Thursday and winning a pair of one-run contests on Friday and Saturday. Let’s dive into the matchup and pick out some Braves-Phillies best bets from the many markets available on DraftKings Sportsbook.

The Phillies are an impressive 18 games ahead of the Braves, who have had a miserable season with injuries and underperformance sinking them out of the playoff race. They’ll look to avoid the sweep on Sunday by giving the ball to Hurston Waldrep, while the Phillies will counter with veteran lefty Jesus Luzardo.

In the big picture, the Mariners are -169 favorites at home, with the run line at nine.

Check out all the options available for the game on DraftKings Sportsbook, and here is a look at my best bets for Braves vs. Phillies on Sunday night.

Best Bets for Braves at Phillies on 8/31/25 on DraftKings Sportsbook

Under 0.5 runs in first inning (-105)

My colleague Dan Johnson gave you his top NRFI picks earlier in the day, and let’s toss another “No Run First Inning” play on the board. The NRFI has hit in 10 of the last 11 games between these two teams at Citizens Bank Park, including each of the two games over the last two days.

For the Phillies, Luzardo has delivered 20 clean first innings in his 27 starts (74%). Overall, the team has hit on 55% of NRFI this season.

The Braves have gotten great work from rookie Hurston Waldrep since he joined them for the Speedway Classic. He has a 0.90 ERA overall and has only given up a run in the first inning of one of his four starts. The Braves have posted seven NRFI wins in their last 10 games coming into this matchup.

The wind is forecast to be blowing lightly in without much humidity, so the Park Factor should be fairly neutral. While both teams pack plenty of power near the top of their lineup and one swing can wipe out this bet in a hurry, I love getting NRFI at around even money for one of my Braves-Phillies best bets, especially with two solid starting pitchers on the mound.

Hurston Waldrep over 15.5 outs recorded (+110)

Waldrep has gotten at least 16 outs in each of his five games this season, going 4-0 with a 0.90 ERA, 2.32 FIP, and 0.93 WHIP in 30 innings. Even in his last outing, in which he gave up eight hits and had no strikeouts, he made it through 5 1/3 innings without his best stuff.

When he’s locked in, he can dominate, as he showed two starts ago in seven shutout innings against the White Sox with four hits and seven strikeouts. Facing the Phillies is a much tougher task, though, which is why I’m a little hesitant to back him to allow under 2.5 runs (-115) or under 5.5 hits (-165).

I’d rather take the longer odds and count on him getting at least one out in the sixth inning, since that option remains in play even if he does give up runs early on against a strong Phillies offense. I also prefer this prop to his strikeout line since his punchout production has varied widely in his recent outings.

Jurickson Profar over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI (-135)

Profar’s first year in Atlanta got off to a brutal start. When the team was counting on him to help fill in for a recovering Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee), he instead earned an 80-game suspension from the MLB for performance-enhancing drugs.

When he has been available, Profar has actually been fairly productive, especially surging lately. In his 56 games, the switch-hitter has a .268 batting average with 12 homers, 44 runs scored, 37 RBI, and a .374 wOBA that would be a new career-high for the 32-year-old.

He has spent most of the year in the leadoff spot, which increases his ability to go over his HRR (Hits + Runs + RBI) line with more at-bats and better hitters behind him in the order.

Profar has also hit lefties like Luzardo well, with a .308 batting average and .377 wOBA in the split. He has gone 3-for-10 (.300) in his career against Luzardo with a walk, a homer, and three RBI.

The 32-year-old comes into this matchup with a seven-game hitting streak, and during that streak, he has 23 HRR, for an average of 3.3 per game. Looking back further, he has 72 HRR in his last 20 games, for an average of 3.6 HRR per contest.

If you’re feeling more aggressive, Profar for 3+ HRR is +155 and a strong play as well, but this feels like a very strong play at 2+ for -135. All he needs is one solid at bat to deliver the over on this prop, and he’s been playing well coming into this favorable matchup.