Yankees vs Braves Picks and Prediction – 7/18/2025

The New York Yankees open a three-game series on the road Friday versus the Atlanta Braves. New York is 53-43 following a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs last Sunday in the final game before the All-Star Game break. New York has lost two straight since having a five-game winning streak snapped. The Yankees trail first-place Toronto in the American League East by two games. Keep up to date with all the MLB action with our expert MLB picks.

Aaron Judge is batting .355 with 35 home runs, 81 RBI, 125 hits, and an on-base percentage of .462 to lead New York in each of the five categories. Jazz Chisholm Jr is second in home runs with 17. New York is batting .256 with a .455 slugging percentage. New York has not released the name of its starting pitcher for Friday's opening game of a three-game series with Atlanta.

The Atlanta Braves look to bounce back from a loss with a victory at home on Friday when hosting the New York Yankees. Atlanta is 42-53 following Sunday’s 5-4 loss to the St Louis Cardinals in the final game before the All-Star Game break. Atlanta has lost seven of the last 10, and the Braves trail the first-place Philadelphia Phillies by 12 ½ games in the National League East.

Austin Riley is batting .274 with 104 hits to lead Atlanta in each of the two categories. Matt Olson leads in home runs with 17 and RBI with 61, while Marcell Ozuna leads in on-base percentage at .366. Atlanta is batting .243 with a .388 slugging percentage. The Atlanta Braves have not released the name of their starting pitcher for Friday’s opening game of a three-game series at home versus the Yankees.

While the OVER is a solid choice in this matchup on Friday between New York and Atlanta, the play here is the Yankees. New York has won five of its last seven, while Atlanta has lost 12 of its last 17 overall, and the Braves have dropped six of the last seven played at home. New York is first in both on-base percentage and slugging percentage, while third in runs scored and fifth in batting average. Final Score Prediction: New York Yankees win 8-3.