The Braves won't drop back-to-back games

Good afternoon sports fans, it's Chris Bengel arriving back into your inbox. I hope everybody had a great holiday filled with delicious food and winning bets.

Your holiday was certainly far better than the Angels. The team learned that they will be without star slugger slugger Mike Trout for the foreseeable future due to a broken bone in his wrist. This comes in the midst of a season in which the Angels are within striking distance of a playoff spot while riding on the backs of Trout and Shohei Ohtani after already losing several key players to injury.

It's a tough blow for the Angels. Anyway, let's dive into the MLB picks for Wednesday's slate of action.

All times Eastern |All odds via Caesars Sportsbook

Braves at Guardians, 7:10 p.m.| Watch live: MLB.TV

• The Pick: Braves (-165)
• Key Trend: The Braves are 5-2 in the last seven meetings in Cleveland.

On Monday, the Braves lost for just the second time in their past 19 games, falling to the Guardians 6-5 in 10 innings. It was a deflating loss after the Braves held a 4-2 lead in the middle innings. While Tuesday's contest was rough, I have no problem going right back to the Braves' well in this spot.

The Braves have only dropped back-to-back games on seven occasions throughout the 2023 season. That's pretty remarkable, considering that we're just days away from the All-Star break. It also doesn't hurt that Wednesday's pitching matchup definitely favors the Braves.

The Guardians will send a struggling Cal Quantrill to the mound. Quantrill has racked up a 2-5 record to go along with a 6.18 ERA on the year. The right-hander has surrendered at least six earned runs over his last three starts, and is coming off of a month in which he registered a 5.77 ERA. Most recently, Quantrill was hammered for six earned runs on eight hits in just 3 1/3 innings against the Cubs.

On top of the pitching matchup being in the Braves' favor, this is also one of the most dangerous lineups in the league. The Braves rank in the top three in the majors in terms of batting average (.271), hits, runs, home runs and RBIs. Atlanta actually leads the MLB in home runs with a lineup that features the likes of Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson. I have zero hesitation in backing the Braves to bounce back.

Blue Jays at White Sox, 8:10 p.m.| Watch live: MLB.TV

• The Pick: Over 9 runs (-115)
• Key Trend: The over is 5-0 in the Brewers last five games.

This American League matchup features two starting pitchers that have had their fair share of rough patches, so the over is definitely the play in this spot.

White Sox starter Lance Lynn has accumulated a 5-8 record in addition to posting a bloated 6.47 ERA on the year. In five starts in June, Lynn only came away victorious in one of those outings and tallied a 6.28 ERA. Lynn is coming off of an outing in which he surrendered five earned runs on eight hits in six innings against the Angels. He also has given up at least four earned runs in three of his last five starts.

Meanwhile, while Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Berrios has struggled as much as Lynn, consistency has been a major issue for the right-hander. Berrios has registered a 3.74 ERA on the season, while seeing his fair share of shortcomings in recent starts. The Blue Jays arm has given up at least four earned runs in two of his last three starts, while owning a 4.30 ERA in 10 road starts in 2023. Yes, the Blue Jays and White Sox offenses have underachieved this season, but these pitching matchups should allow both sides to get us to the 10 runs that we need.

Reds at Nationals, 7:05 p.m.| Watch live: MLB.TV

• The Pick: Josiah Gray Over 5.5 Strikeouts (+102)
• Key Trend: Gray has recorded at least six strikeouts in four of his last six five starts.

After having back-to-back seasons in which he accumulated an ERA north of 5.00, Nationals starter Josiah Gray has really hit his stride throughout the first half of the 2023 season. Gray has jumped out to a 6-6 record to go along with a team-low 3.30 ERA and 86 strikeouts. I'm expecting his hot streak to continue against the Reds on Wednesday.

Over his last five starts, Gray has racked up at least six strikeouts in four of those outings. The 25-year-old hurler has tallied at least six strikeouts in each of his last starts, despite only going six innings or less in each of those outings. The young Reds offense definitely has been electric this season, but they do strike out at a pretty high clip. Cincinnati is currently 10th in strikeouts in all of baseball. Gray should be able to reach the six-strikeout mark yet again.