Braves Edge Reds 3-2 as Sale Dominates, Our Prop Card Splits

The Atlanta Braves beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 on Wednesday night at Truist Park, and the game tracked the pitching matchup closely: Chris Sale was dominant, Andrew Abbott was better than his season line, and a few swings decided it.

Sale went 5.2 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with ten strikeouts and no walks. Abbott countered with seven innings of two-run ball, striking out six and walking one, but he paid for two home runs. Matt Olson did the heaviest lifting, going 2-for-4 with a homer and six total bases, while Austin Riley added a homer of his own.

Our premium pick: Braves moneyline — WIN. Atlanta closed it out, and the run line call on Cincinnati +1.5 also landed, since the game finished within a run. The total was a loss: we called the over, and five combined runs left the game short of the number.

On the prop card, the results were mixed. Chris Sale over 3.5 hits allowed cashed — he surrendered four. Andrew Abbott over 2.50 earned runs came up short; he allowed exactly two. Elly De La Cruz over 1.5 total bases was a clean loss: 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and no total bases. Ha-Seong Kim under 0.50 hits cashed with a hitless night.

The takeaway: Sale's strikeout dominance still allowed enough contact to clear his hits line, while Abbott's home-run issue — not walk-driven traffic — was the real damage path. When a pitcher's profile is built on missing bats, the over on earned runs is the trap worth avoiding.