Peter Lewis
• Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals
• Sunday, June 11 at 1:35PM ET
• Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia
It goes without saying, but the Atlanta Braves have been one of the hottest teams in baseball over the past month or so. Atlanta was always considered a major player to win the NL East, but now. Brian Snitker’s men are fully in the World Series conversation. This week, they’ve got a big-time divisional series on the way with the Washington Nationals. Come Sunday, the Braves are favored to beat the National in the series finale. Will they come out on top?
For the Braves, they’ve indeed been one of the top squads out there, as they currently hold a 37-24 record. If it weren’t for the Los Angeles Dodgers, we’d be talking about Atlanta being the clear favorite to win it all. Despite that, Ronald Acuna Jr., Marcell Ozuna and others have been brilliant for this club on offense, while the pitching has also been great. Atlanta is no question the real deal.
| Braves vs. Nats odds |  |  |  |  |
| Braves to win | -115 | -115 | -115 | -115 |
| Nats to win | +125 | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
With Washington, they’ve been far too inconsistent, which has been a bummer for the fanbase. The hitting hasn’t been there and the starting rotation hasn’t stepped up the way people thought they would. With them heading to Atlanta for this weekend series, they’re going to have to bring their A-game if they want to try and keep things close for each contest. That’ll surely be easier said than done.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Braved hold -115 MLB betting odds to secure a win on Sunday, while the Nationals have been set at +125. The Braves are going to be favored for each game this weekend and it would be a complete shocker if they didn’t post a needed win on Sunday. With that said, we’re going with the Braves as our pick.
What a W!#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/LxTyExW1WZ
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 8, 2023
The over should hit for the Braves vs. Nationals
Thanks to the Atlanta bats being so rock solid, we think the over should hit for the Braves vs. Nationals. While Atlanta is yet to announce who its starting pitcher will be for this contest, Washington is expected to rock with Trevor Williams. While Williams has the potential to be a stud at times, he’s in the middle of a rough season for his team. Williams, just like the other Nats hurlers, has had way too many ups and downs.
Thus far this campaign, the right-handed pitcher is a lowly 2-4, with a 4.15 ERA. That’s not going to get the job done when facing players like Acuna, Ozuna and Matt Olson. With Acuna, he continues to be among the best hitters in the major leagues. Acuna has tremendous power and he also has a knack for making smart plays in the field. Thanks to his strong play, he should be a guy to keep an eye on for NL MVP.
Since May 20 the Braves rank No. 1 in getting outs on balls hit in the air to the outfield
They've turned 67% of them into outs
(MLB average, 59%)Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuña Jr. contributing to that cause in a big way last night vs the Mets#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/r292yLnVVf
— SIS_Baseball (@sis_baseball) June 8, 2023
“I put a lot of pressure on myself, like, ‘I have to get back to being who I was before,’ and I think that influenced a lot,” Acuña said in a recent interview with ESPN on his play after tearing his ACL. “Things didn’t turn out the way I wanted them to. The knee — there were days when it wouldn’t hurt, I’d go out and play a hundred percent and I’d tell myself, ‘I’m back,’ but then the next day the pain would return. It just kept going like that.”
Luckily for Acuna and the Braves, he has fully recovered and he’s looking like his old self. We would love to see the slugger go yard vs. the Nationals on Sunday. With the over/under set at 6.5 runs, Acuna and Co. will make a splash and look to top that number on their own. There are -110 MLB betting odds for the over to cover. That’s our pick, as we think both these teams will have no problem reaching at least seven combined runs.
The Braves feel like locks to win the NL East
Although it’s still early in the new campaign, the Braves feel like locks to win the NL East this season. Entering ’23, a lot of people thought it would come down to either the Braves or Mets. While New York should be able to make the postseason via an NL Wild Card spot, they’re not off to a strong start. The same can’t be said for Atlanta. Again, they’ve been one of the best teams in the league this season.
It’s also important to remember that the Braves have strong World Series betting odds. The Dodgers are at the top of the list at +450, but Atlanta is right behind them at +470. The Braves shocked the world by winning the Fall Classic in 2021. What made that run even more special is that Acuna was out for the season due to his torn ACL. Now that he’s back in the lineup, the outfielder wants to help his team win it all once again.
From a division standpoint, the Braves figure to cruise to an NL East crown. Then, the hard work will begin in the playoffs with them looking to win their second title in the past three seasons. It won’t be easy, but the potential is there for the Braves to get the job done.
