MLB Game Preview for June 24, 2010: Atlanta Braves @ Chicago White Sox

When you make a World Cup bet there is not a lot of team momentum that gets figured into your strategy. The games are far enough apart where the best team will usually win. When you decide you are betting on MLB, a team’s momentum can play into how you place your bet.

The MLB betting lately on the Chicago White Sox has been very different than the beginning of the season. The White Sox have won nine of their last 10 games, they are on a seven game winning streak and they have pulled to within four and a half games of AL Central leader Minnesota.

The NL East leading Atlanta Braves have won seven of their last 10, but their last game was a loss in the opening game of this series to the White Sox. The NL East is arguably the toughest division in baseball with only nine and a half games separating first place Atlanta from the last place Washington Nationals. No other division is that close. The Braves are currently in a battle with the New York Mets who are only a game and a half out, and this series with the red-hot White Sox is not what the Braves needed.

The World Cup finals betting comes at a time when the White Sox have been able to put any pitcher on the mound and find a way to win. Hopefully he starting pitcher for the White Sox in this game, Gavin Floyd, can benefit from the streak the White Sox have been on. Floyd is 2-7 this season with an ERA of 5.10. However, Floyd’s last game was an eight inning masterpiece against the Nationals. He only allowed one run and had five strikeouts. His career ERA against Atlanta is 9.80.

The Braves will send Derek Lowe to the mound for this game. Lowe is one of the few sinkerball pitchers left in the league, and his 9-5 record along with an ERA of 4.77 is not indicative of his effect this season. In reality Lowe has had two very bad outings that inflated his ERA. For the remainder of the season he has been extremely effective and he still has some of the best control in the major leagues.

The Braves need to win in order to fend off the charging Mets. The Mets have won eight of their last 10, and are currently in a series with the Detroit Tigers that is no easy feat. The Mets could lose a couple of games in that series, and the Braves need to take advantage of their opportunity.

Derek Lowe could be just what the doctor ordered for the Braves. He is a change of pace, not unlike a knuckleball pitcher, that can catch the White Sox off guard. The White Sox are decent at hitting home runs, but they struggle with doubles and singles. When you play against a pitcher like Derek Lowe, you need to be able to hit for doubles and singles to have a chance at winning.

Pick: Atlanta Braves 4-2