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• Atlanta Braves vs. Colorado Rockies
• Saturday, June 17 at 4:10 PM ET
• Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia
Here we are in mid-June and the Atlanta Braves continue to be one of the hottest teams out there. Things got off to a bit of a slow start for Brian Snitker’s men, but things have surely changed over the past month or so. Now, Atlanta is looking like a serious threat to go on a deep postseason run. This week, Atlanta will welcome Colorado to town for a four-game set. Looking to the weekend, the Braves are favored to beat the Rockies in Saturday’s series finale.
The pitching matchups for this showdown haven’t been revealed just yet, but that doesn’t matter. The oddsmakers actually have the Braves as favorites for each game they have this week going up against Colorado. This goes to show you how much better the NL East side is compared to the Rockies. The Colorado organization has gone through some lean seasons in recent years and things haven’t gotten much better for them in 2023.
| Braves vs. Rockies odds |  |  |  |  |
| Braves to win | -115 | -115 | -115 | -115 |
| Rockies to win | +125 | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
As of this writing, the Rockies are a lowly 28-40 on the campaign. Unless some sort of a miracle arrives, the Rockies won’t be making the postseason. When they were able to sign Kris Bryant to his mega-deal not too long ago, the fanbase had a strong belief that the club would be able to turn things around. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case for them, with the Rockies consistently struggling to perform.
The same can’t be said for the Braves, as they indeed have been red hot. According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, Atlanta holds -115 MLB betting odds to post a victory in this one. Meanwhile for Colorado, they’ve been set at +125. This could end up being a long day for the Rockies regardless of who they send out to pitch. With that said, we’re 100 percent going with the Braves as our pick to win.
Money flyin' 💸
⭐️: https://t.co/W6qzMwejkW pic.twitter.com/Thmp8Huq15
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 13, 2023
Ronald Acuna Jr. could help his MVP case with a strong series
One thing to keep an eye on over these upcoming matchups is that Ronald Acuna Jr. could help his MVP case with a strong series against the Rockies. Acuna is playing on another planet right now, as he’s been a beast at the plate. While there are others in the hunt to win NL MVP, Acuna is the current favorite to take home the honor, which would be the first time he would do so. From our chair, he’s the front-runner right now.
What Acuna has been able to do this season has been quite special. Keep in mind that when the Braves won the World Series in 2021, Acuna wasn’t able to take the field because he suffered a torn ACL earlier in the year. It was a heartbreaking injury for him, but he has said since that happened that he wants to do whatever is needed to help his team win another World Series, this time with him making an impact.
When Ronald Acuña Jr. gets a hold of one, he crushes it.
Each of his last 10 homers has gone more than 420 ft, the most consecutive 420+ ft homers in the Statcast era (since 2015).
(MLB x @GoogleCloud) pic.twitter.com/s6Z925y5nQ
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) June 4, 2023
On the year, Acuna is hitting .328, with 13 homers and 40 RBI. This has been great to see, as he has reminded people of how talented he is. Snitker has consistently praised the young outfielder for his strong play and we have a feeling that’s only going to continue the rest of the way. Once the All-Star Game arrives, Acuna will be putting on a show for all the fans who travel to Seattle.
Guys like Freddie Freeman will hope to make a run for NL MVP, but again, we have a feeling that Acuna will be able to run away with things once September rolls around. He will surely boost his chances if Atlanta ends up going on a strong playoff run like we expect them to. Per the oddsmakers, Acuna holds +250 MLB betting odds to win NL MVP. We think he’ll ball out vs. the Rockies this week too. Once the end-of-season awards arrive, he’s our pick to win MVP too.
Braves are hoping to win the World Series this year
We surely don’t have to tell you that the Braves are hoping to win the World Series this year. They surely look like a team who could be in contention this fall. For a little while this spring, the Braves actually had the No. 1 World Series betting odds to win the Fall Classic. While they’re still in the hunt, the Los Angeles Dodgers have actually passed them at the top of the list in terms of betting favorites to win the World Series.
We would love nothing more than to see the Braves and Dodgers face off in the NLCS. That would surely be a series to remember, with the winner of that one fully expected to win the World Series. In the AL, the Yankees, Rays and Astros will hope to make a splash, but our feeling is that whoever comes out on top of the National League – they’ll end up taking home the championship glory. Will it be the Braves? We can’t wait to find out.
