SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS @ ATLANTA BRAVES
Baseball : United States : MLB Regular Season
Thursday, August 5th 2010 - Start 7:10PM ET
(12:10AM GMT)

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Right, had a good look at this, and if you're a value hunter, this one's for you.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

The Giants come into this, having split their 2 game series in Colorado and now face the NL East leaders, Atlanta. San Francisco has been playing very well and are just 1 game behind the San Diego Padres in the NL West. The Giants have gone 21-6 in their last 27 games and they have actually caught up from 7.5 games behind the Padres this time last month. Motivation here will not be a problem.

Tim Lincecum is the starter here for the Giants, and this really is a bargain price. He is having yet another excellent season, with a 11-4 record and a 3.10ERA in 22 starts, giving the Giants a 16-6 record in those games. Although Lincecum performs just as well on the road as he does at home, San Francisco actually have a better record in his road starts, going 9-2 in 11 games, compared to 7-4 in 11 games at home!

The Giants have won every game in his last 5 trips to the mound against the Braves, and his 6-1 career record with a 2.70ERA against the team from the deep south gives me more than enough confidence to bet the visitors.

ATLANTA BRAVES

Atlanta is coming into this having won their series against the Mets, so while they show recent wins, the fact is that the Mets ain't anything special. The favourite price here on the Braves is partly because they are one of the best home teams, going 36-14 at Turner Field, the best home winning percentage in the MLB. So what about the pitcher?

Jair Jurrjens is the starter for the home side, and he has had a great start since returning from the DL. He has however dropped the ball if you will over his last 2 matches, where he has allowed 9 runs over just 13.2 innings. Both those games resulted in Braves losses but because both games were on the road and Jurrjens is undefeated at home, it has not affected the price.

BETTING VERDICT

The Giants have not lost 2 games on the trot since the very start of July, and after their last 7 losses have bounced back with a win every time. Meanwhile, the Braves have followed up each of their last 6 wins with a loss.

I'm on SF.

The Pick :

Giants to win!

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take the SF Giants to win @ 2.00 (Pinnacle) - MAIN BET