Winners of 2 straight over division-rival Seattle, the Los Angeles Angels will welcome the Atlanta Braves to town for a 3-game series starting Monday evening. Unlike the Angels, the Braves are in the midst of a 2-game losing streak after rattling off 3 straight wins and 6 of 8 to start the year. 

The pitching matchup is an interesting one. Atlanta will send lefty ace Chris Sale to the mound, who has surrendered just 1 run in 2 starts against the Athletics and Royals. He accounted for 9 strikeouts, 3 walks and 4 hits in those starts. Meanwhile, Jose Soriano will take the hill for the Angels, and he’s been even better than Sale – maybe aside from the 6 walks allowed. In 2 starts and 12 combined innings against the Cubs and Astros, Soriano has allowed 0 earned runs, while surrendering just 4 hits and striking out 11. There’s not much batter-vs-pitcher history in this interleague matchup, but the current Braves roster is just 4-of-36 against Soriano with 9 strikeouts. The Angels lineup is 15-of-64 lifetime against Sale, but a lot of that is just Mike Trout, who is 6-of-20 against Sale with 1 HR and 6 strikeouts. 

Both Sale and Soriano are missing bats and preventing opposing hitters from getting their barrels on the ball at an elite rate, and when contact is made, there are a lot of ground balls induced from both of them. This makes me think runs will be at a premium tonight. Not to mention, both bullpens are top-5 in the league in ERA and have allowed just 1 HR each. 

Braves vs Angels prediction: Under 8 (-120) at the time of publishing. Playable to 7.5 (-105). 

If you’re looking for a new sportsbook, we recommend checking out Fanatics Sportsbook. New users can get $100 FanCash bet matches on their first 10 wagers! Join Fanatics Sportsbook, where you can bet on our Braves vs Angels predictions.