Red Sox vs Braves: Game 1 prediction, odds, injuries, and picks

NL East hopefuls - the Atlanta Braves - take on their AL East counterparts - the Boston Red Sox - in the first of three games at Truist Park on Friday.

Atlanta - currently third in their division - has a 26-29 record while the Red Sox are fourth in theirs, with a 27-31 record.

Let's take a look at the odds for Friday's series opener and how the action might play out on the field.

Red Sox vs. Braves prediction

Former All-Star Lucas Giolito takes the mound for the Red Sox. Giolito - with a 1-1 record, 5.27 ERA, and 23 strikeouts - registered an impressive performance in his last outing: pitched seven scoreless innings against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday (May 24).

Lucas Giolito in action for the Atlanta Braves against the Boston Red Sox. (Credits: IMAGN)

With the bat, Rafael Devers, Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran are enjoying productive seasons.

For the hosts, righty Grant Holmes makes the start. On paper, Holmes has enjoyed much more success than his counterpart, boasting a 3-3 record with a 3.68 ERA and 55 total strikeouts. The last time Holmes pitched, he fared well against the San Diego Padres, giving up only a single earned run in seven innings.

With the bat, Marcell Ozuna, Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies have looked great, with returning superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. also seemingly hitting the ground running after a long time on the IL.

Atlanta comes into this one after an impressive win against the Phillies, while the Brewers swept the Red Sox. Favored by the books, the hosts should show enough quality to justify that tag on Friday.

Prediction: Atlanta Braves 5, Boston Red Sox 4

Red Sox vs. Braves Odds

Money Line: Boston Red Sox +135, Atlanta Braves -159

Run Line: Boston +1.5 (-147), Atlanta -1.5 (+110)

Total Runs: Over 8.5 (-161), Under 8.5 (+122)

Red Sox vs. Braves Injury report

Boston injuries:

Romy Gonzalez: 10-day IL (Back)

Alex Bregman: 10-day IL (Quadricep)

Tanner Houck: 15-day IL (Flexor)

Triston Casas: 60-day IL (Knee)

Masataka Yoshida: 60-day IL (Shoulder)

Kutter Crawford: 60-day IL (Knee)

Patrick Sandoval: 60-day IL (Elbow)

Chris Murphy: 60-day IL (Elbow)

Atlanta injuries:

Stuart Fairchild: 10-day IL (Finger)

Joe Jimenez: 60-day IL (Knee)

AJ Smith-Shawver: 60-day IL (Calf/elbow)

Ignacio Alvarez: 60-day IL (Wrist)

Reynaldo López: 60-day IL (Shoulder)

Red Sox vs. Braves Expert's picks

With the Braves playing at home and the pitching matchup also leaning in their favor, the hosts should pick up an important win here, albeit a narrow one.

Money Line: Atlanta Braves -159

Run Line: Boston Red Sox +1.5 (-147)

Total Runs: Over 8.5 (-161)

About the author

Raghav Mehta is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda awaiting results for a Bachelor's in Journalism from Delhi University. He enjoys highlighting the key battles between players at different stages of the game and analyzing the decisive moments upon which they hinge.

One of Raghav's favorite moments, which underscores this, was the Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout clash in the 2023 WBC, where two of baseball's best players faced off against each other in the 9th inning. With the score 3-2 to Japan, Shohei eventually got the strikeout, which was absolute cinema.

Raghav is a Baltimore Orioles fan and is enjoying watching such an exciting young team compete at the top in a very competitive division.

Raghav has loved watching sports for as long as he can remember and realized he was pretty decent at writing his thoughts down at around the age of 14. Combining the two meant he had something he would enjoy doing every day, and he had identified that well before going to college.

Aside from work, Raghav enjoys playing sports, working out and watching movies.

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Edited by William Paul

Red Sox vs Braves: Game 1 prediction, odds, injuries, and picks - May 30, 2025