Atlanta Braves vs Cleveland Guardians Pick – 8/16/2025
The Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Guardians will face off on Saturday night in an interleague matchup. The Braves took the first game of this series in a huge blow to the Guardians’ Wild Card hopes. Cleveland will look to get back on track in this game. I have broken it all down right here and you can find my Braves vs Guardians prediction below.
Our Braves vs Guardians Pick
- Pick: Cleveland Guardians moneyline
- Confidence: 4/5
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Atlanta Braves vs Cleveland Guardians
- Date & Time: Saturday, August 16, 2025, 7:10 p.m. ET
- Starting Pitchers: Joey Wentz vs Slade Cecconi
- Stadium: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
- Broadcast: CLEG and FDSSO
Key Storylines
Pitching matchup
Slade Cecconi has been the more reliable of the two starting pitchers in this game. He enters this start with a 4.11 ERA and a 5-5 record. Atlanta’s Joey Wentz has struggled with an ERA over five. Neither pitcher has been great but Cecconi is the better of the two arms in this matchup and should give the Guardians the edge in the pitching department.
Key Players
- For Atlanta: The return of Ronald Acuña Jr. boosts the lineup significantly after his activation from the injured list. He went 0-3 on Friday and will look to make an impact in this contest.
- For Cleveland: José Ramírez continues to be a source of offensive production with a .295 average and 25 home runs.
Recent team streaks
- Atlanta has won three games in a row coming into this matchup.
- The Guardians are 2-3 over their last five games and are 1.5 games back of the final AL Wild Card spot.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop |
|---|---|
| Ronald Acuña Jr. | Under 1.5 Total Bases |
| José Ramírez | Over 1.5 Total Bases |
Betting Trends & H2H
- Atlanta leads the season series between these teams 1-0 after winning on Friday.
- The first game of this series went under the total. Atlanta got the win by a score of 2-0.
- Cleveland is 27-30 after a loss this season.
- The Guardians are 19-24 against interleague opponents.
- Atlanta is 13-21 against teams from the American League.
Braves vs Guardians Model Projection
Score Projection: Cleveland 5 – Atlanta 3
Win Probability: Guardians 53 %, Braves 47 %
Final Thoughts
The Guardians have the starting pitching advantage going into this matchup. Cleveland should be able to keep the Atlanta offensive in check again in this game. But this time, I expect the Guardians to at least show up at the plate. I’ll take Cleveland to win this game on the moneyline and end the Braves’ current winning streak.
