The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds will play under the bright lights of Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night, becoming the first MLB teams to play a game at a NASCAR race track.

Some handicappers will do their best to break down the dimensions and the weather to come up with some park factors to use in their handicapping, but the truth is that bettors should approach this game like any other in the long MLB season. 

It’s not worth getting too deep in the weeds for one game.

The Braves have been a disaster this season, but most of their malaise can be attributed to an unrelenting injury bug. 

Atlanta is not going to make the playoffs, so Saturday’s game likely will be their biggest between now and next season.

As for the Reds, they’re hanging on by a thread in the NL wild card hunt, and getting out of Bristol with a win is all that matters. 

You’d think it would be tough sledding for the Reds with Spencer Strider getting the assignment for the Braves, but the former MLB strikeout king has not been himself since returning from Tommy John surgery.

Strider has essentially rotated between good, mediocre, and poor starts this season, but he will be priced as the favorite against a high-ceiling opponent.

Chase Burns, the No. 2 overall pick in 2024, may boast an ugly 6.26 ERA, but he has struck out 36 percent of the batters he’s faced. If he can stabilize even a little, the upside is incredible.

Strider is getting too much respect for Saturday’s contest.

The Play: Reds (+114, FanDuel)

Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.