Monday MLB preview: Braves at Rockies, Cardinals at Brewers

MLB free play: Atlanta runline

The Braves have won eight straight games and should add to that streak against the Rockies on Monday afternoon.

Julio Teheran (8-8, 3.53 ERA) will get the ball for Atlanta, and he has allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of his last 10 starts. The Colombia native has held his own against Colorado's Nolan Arenado, limiting the All-Star third baseman to four hits in 20 prior at-bats. Teheran is backed by a Braves bullpen that has surrendered only two earned runs over its last 26 innings of work.

Tim Melville (1-0, 1.29 ERA) pitched brilliantly in his Rockies debut August 21, when he held the Diamondbacks to one run and two hits in seven innings. However, based on his brief prior stints in the majors with Cincinnati, Minnesota and San Diego (11.05 ERA), that effort could be a fluke. He'll have to be careful with first baseman Freddie Freeman and third baseman Josh Donaldson, who have combined for seven home runs over their last seven games. Colorado's relievers, 22nd in ERA over the last two weeks (5.76), will only add gasoline to the fire.

St. Louis Cardinals (71-58) at Milwaukee Brewers (67-63), 7:08 p.m. ET, ESPN

MLB free play: Over

The Cardinals and Brewers will meet again after they wrapped up a three-game series at Busch Stadium on Thursday. These lineups are especially familiar with these underachieving starters, so Over bettors are poised to cash.

Adam Wainwright (9-9, 4.51 ERA) will for St. Louis, and his five-run, eight-hit performance on Wednesday left plenty to be desired. It's hard to picture a reversal of fortune for Wainwright at Miller Park, as his road ERA in 2019 is 6.64 (12 starts). The Brewers' bats, namely Mike Moustakas (4-for-10 off Wainwright), should chase the Georgia native early.

Gio Gonzalez (2-1, 3.64 ERA) danced out of danger in a five-inning appearance against the Cardinals on Tuesday, when he allowed one earned run and scattered three hits and four walks. There are plenty of potential pitfalls for the 11-year veteran to avoid, such as first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (10-for-20 against Gonzalez) and catcher Yadier Molina (10-for-26). The Brewers' bullpen, likely to be tasked with at least three innings of work here, owns a 5.72 ERA over the last two weeks (21st).