MLB 2023 Weekly Preview - Week 15

Summary

Week 15 of the MLB season approaches, and we are getting ever so close to the halfway point of the season and the all-star break.

A rest period and fun weekend of relaxation is coming, but these teams need to close out their half strong.

There is no more room for messing up or costly errors, so the time to strike is now.

Every player needs to lock in now, and with the all-star break coming in about a month or so, there is no time to waste.

Some of the league’s best teams are not even in playoff contention right now, which speaks volumes to the ability of every ball club out there.

Every day is a battle and there are no “guaranteed” wins in the MLB at this point.

Fighting hard for every out, run, and hit has been truly spectacular to watch, and we are only going to get more emphasis on the impact of these regular season games in the future.

The San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves were two of the most hyped teams going into this season, and both are seemingly going opposite ways.

The Padres have a huge series this week against the Angels to get out of their rut, while the Braves are the hottest and possibly best team in baseball.

Let’s get into some of this week’s best matchups on Stake.com!

Analysis

San Diego Padres @ Los Angeles Angels - Monday, July 3rd

San Diego is in a horrible position and are currently underachieving massively to what prior knowledge seemed to be around them.

One of the highest payrolls in the MLB is not delivering on a high level and as a result they are seriously falling out of the mere playoff race fast.

There is nothing to say that things will get better, but the talent on this team is simply absurd.

All the pieces are not clicking in the right spots, which you can tell right off the cusp of any game you watch.

They are still clearly a hugely talented team, but not knowing their identity is showing.

LAA is once again in the wild card race, but need to head into the ASG with more reason to be happy.

After having a record as high as 11 games above .500 the Angels have been wishy-washy since.

Shohei Ohtani is by far the best player in the sport of baseball, which is typical of what we have come to expect from the Japanese superstar.

However, the team is still lacking true dynamic with consistency which needs to be fixed post ASG.

Prediction - LAA Angels ML with Ohtani on the bump.

Atlanta Braves @ Cleveland Guardians– Wednesday, July 5

The Braves and Guardians will be locking into a matchup that they believe they will win.

The hottest team in baseball is playing with some serious swagger and it’s hard to imagine anyone even close to being able to stop them.

They will head away from home now and try to take their winstreak to the absolute next level and certify their spot as the best team in the MLB before the all star break.

The Guardians are a .500 club who are capable of beating the giants but have not showed their abilities in the most emphasized way this season.

Jose Ramirez is one to watch for in this series, and his contributions will needed grealty.

Prediction - Braves ML and over runs.