MLB Picks: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard has hit seven career home runs against Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Tim Hudson, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks Monday night, as the two teams face off at Turner Field at 7:10 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Sports bettors will find that the Phillies are -102 road underdogs in the pro baseball odds (courtesy of SBR odds), while the total sits at 7.0 in the betting market.

Let's take a closer look at this National League East matchup from a betting perspective while offering up a prediction on the total along the way.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies finished last season with an even 81-81 overall record, but they went 6-12 versus the Atlanta Braves.

Phillies left-handed starter Cole Hamels is 5-4 with a 4.18 ERA in 15 career appearances (14 starts) at Turner Field.

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves led the National League with 49 home runs during spring training, which was a bit surprising after finishing with just 149 during the 2012 campaign.

Braves right-handed starter Tim Hudson is 10-9 with a 3.75 ERA in 27 career starts versus the Phillies. He's also led his team to five consecutive victories in the series when facing Cole Hamels.

Prediction

I'm going to recommend that readers play the total as one of their MLB picks Monday night, as the OVER is 6-2 in Cole Hamels' last eight starts as a road underdog of +110 to +150.

MLB Pick: Over 7

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