Atlanta Braves at Chicago White Sox Betting Odds

Opening Moneyline Odds: Tim Hudson (-109) vs. Mark Buehrle (+101) at 5Dimes.com

The Atlanta Braves continue a three game series with the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field with Game 2 scheduled for 8:10 P.M. (ET) tonight.

After losing a 9-6 slugfest in Game 1 last night, Atlanta will look to rebound tonight in Game 2. The Braves are currently 42-29 and still have a 1.5 game lead over the Mets in the NL East. They are 7-3 SU in their last 10 but only 18-22 SU on the road this season. As the favorite they are 34-13 ATS and against the over/under line they are 37-30-4.

Right hander Tim Hudson will be on the mound tonight for Atlanta. In 14 starts this season he is 7-2 with an ERA of just 2.34. In his last outing he went a full seven innings giving up four hits and only one earned run in a win over Tampa Bay. Hudson has yet to allow more than three earned runs this season. In seven career starts against the White Sox he is 3-2 with a 5.19 ERA. In three starts at Cellular Field he is 0-2 with a 13.17 ERA.

Through their recent winning tear, the Braves bats have been solid. With a team batting average of .264, they are ranked third in the NL. They are averaging 4.93 runs per game and their 350 total runs scored rank them first in the NL. Troy Glaus leads the team with 55 RBI's and 14 HR's. Martin Prado has also been hot with 103 hits in 303 at bats.

It took them awhile but Chicago is back on track and back in the AL Central division race. They have won nine out of their last 10 games and with an overall record of 35-34 are just 4 ½ games in back of Minnesota. They are 16-18 SU at home and 13-13 ATS as an underdog. Against the over/under line they are 36-29-4 with the total going over in their last five games against Atlanta.

Mark Buehrle gets the start tonight for Chicago. The left hander is 5-6 this season with a 4.71 ERA in 14 starts. In his last start he gave up six hits and two earned runs in 7.1 innings of work against the Pirates to get the win. In his only previous start against the Braves he is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA.

The White Sox hitting is getting better but they are still struggling to score runs on a consistent basis. They have averaged 4.8 runs per game over their last 10 games, but have been held to two or less in four of them. Their .250 team batting average and 303 total runs scored ranks them 10th in the AL. Paul Konerko continues to be the stud in the lineup with 51 RBI's and 17 HR's so far this season.

Rankin's Pick

Chicago is hot, winning their last seven straight but they face one of the toughest pitchers in the league tonight in Tim Hudson. Limiting his opponents to just a .216 average in his last 10 outings, Hudson will find a way to quiet the White Sox bats to give Atlanta a series tying win. Take the Braves -107 at 5Dimes