Braves World Series Odds Tank

The Atlanta Braves World Series odds have already begun to shift as a result of the injury to Ronald Acuna Jr. Acuna suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on Sunday, May 26, in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Braves star, who became the first member of the 40-70 club (40-plus homers, 70-plus stolen bases) was hurt last Sunday while attempting a steal. 

The injury didn’t appear to be serious until the MRI showed a complete tear of the left ACL. Almost immediately, the Braves World Series odds started to get longer. Acuna won last year’s NL MVP award after batting .337 with 41 homers and 73 stolen bases. He also had 106 RBIs leading the Braves to the NLDS where they were eliminated from the postseason by Philadelphia. In 2023, the Braves World Series odds were also among the top contenders.

What will happen to the Braves World Series odds now that Acuna is done for the season? The injury has not only affected Atlanta, but also other teams in the hunt for a World Series title. Let’s take a look.

Braves World Series Odds Movement

Prior to Acuna’s injury, the Braves World Series odds were second-best in MLB. The Dodgers claimed the top spot at +300 and the Braves World Series odds were +450 at most sportsbooks heading into last Sunday’s MLB action. Acuna’s injury caused a pretty dramatic shift after Sunday.

With news of Acuna missing the rest of the season, the Braves World Series odds began to move. Atlanta now has the fourth-best odds to win it all. The Braves World Series odds are now +700 at most sportsbooks and as high as +800 at a few others. In addition, Acuna’s injury has had an effect on some other teams.

Most notably, the new Braves World Series odds have affected NL East rival Philadelphia. The Phillies continue to have the best record in baseball. Prior to Acuna’s injury, the Phillies were listed at +900, but have dropped to +500. That’s right in line with the New York Yankees. The Baltimore Orioles round out the top five on the board.

Do Our Cappers Like Braves World Series Odds?

That’s a great question from which an answer probably won’t come into clear view until after the trade deadline. The Braves still have a strong lineup, but the pitching rotation has some issues. It will be interesting to see what Atlanta does at the trade deadline in an effort to bolster their roster for the second half of the season. The Braves play the Nationals tonight.

There’s no need to trade any of our expert handicappers, although if you would have opted for Sports Central’s picks yesterday you would have gone 5-1. Our guys were up to it again yesterday.

Here’s how the top cappers did yesterday.

• Sports Central: As mentioned, Sports Central went 5-1 yesterday and if they would have opted for Game 2 of the Pirates-Tigers doubleheader, they would have ended up with even more profits than $278. 
• It takes two: All it took for Ross Walker to finish second on yesterday’s leaderboard were two picks. Ross nailed them both and earned $235. He’s now our No. 1 NBA capper over the last week and he’s up a total of $545 over the last seven days.

• Where is Diego?: He’s third on yesterday’s board. That’s where! Diego correctly picked three of four MLB games and added profits of $210 to his bankroll.
• Two for the money: Like Ross Walker, it only took two picks for Kyle Buchman to add $200 in profits to his bankroll. Kyle hit two MLB picks and is up $390 over the last three days.
• Fergilicious: Robert Ferguson just keeps winning. Yesterday, he went 3-1 on four picks and earned $200. Check the members area. Fergie has multiple picks in multiple sports for tonight’s action.

Getting Paid & Going Home

One Miami Dolphins wide receiver is very happy after a new contract agreement will net him several million dollar bills y’all. The NBA and NHL playoffs heat up and an NBA prospect has decided to go back to college. Guess who the hottest team in baseball is right now? It’s not who you think.

Here’s what’s happening in the sports world.

• Waddle gets paid: Miami WR Jaylen Waddle is signing a three-year contract extension worth up to $84.75 million. A total of $76 million is guaranteed. Waddle has three straight 1,000-yard seasons and hit the mark last year despite missing three games. His contract value places him third in the NFL among wide receivers.
• Love back to Arizona: Caleb Love, the Pac-12 Player of the Year last season, has withdrawn from the NBA draft and will go back to Arizona next season. Love averaged 18.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists for the Wildcats last season. The 6-foot-4 guard should be a lottery pick next year.

• Game 5: We get not one, but two Game 5s tonight. It’s an elimination game in the NBA. Florida and the New York Rangers are tied at 2-2 in the NHL playoffs.
• Guardians: Who would have thought? While the Braves World Series odds are still relatively favorable, is there value on the Cleveland Guardians at +3000? The Guardians (37-19) have the second-best record in the AL, just a half-game behind the Yankees (38-19). Cleveland has won 13 of its past 16 games. The offense (5.11 runs per game) is on fire and the pitching (3.51 team ERA) keeps getting better.

Thursday’s Sports Schedule

It’s one day closer to the weekend. It’s also another day when the Atlanta Braves World Series odds may get longer. The Braves lost last night to the Washington Nationals, who have now won 4 of the last 6 against Atlanta. The Nats have had success in Atlanta too. Washington is 5-2 in the last seven games against the Braves in Atlanta.

Here’s a look at today’s schedule.

1. Today’s MLB: It’s a lighter schedule today with eight games on tap. Washington plays Atlanta to close out the series. The Braves will start reliever Ray Kerr today against the Nats Trevor Williams (4-0, 2.29). The Yankees, who lead the AL East, will close their series with the Angels tonight. New York won last night 2-1.
2. NBA Game 5: Dallas could once again end this series with Minnesota tonight. The TWolves forced Game 5 with a win at Dallas on Tuesday night. Now, it’s back to Minnesota to see if the TWolves can force Game 6. Check out the NBA totals for tonight’s game.
3. NHL Game 5: There’s also a Game 5 in the NHL tonight. Florida plays the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden with the series tied at 2-2. Each of the last three games has gone to overtime.

4. WNBA: Two games are on the schedule tonight. The first is Seattle at Indiana, which can be seen on Prime Video starting at 7:00 p.m. The Storm are 4-3 on the season and is favored by 4.5 points over Indiana (1-7). Los Angeles (2-4) plays Chicago (2-3) in the other game tonight.
5. Soccer: There is a promotion/relegation match in France’s Ligue 1. Saint-Etienne will play Metz this afternoon. The CONMEBOL Libertadores continues today as does the CONMEBOL Sudamericana.
6. RBC Canadian Open: This is the next PGA Tour event and it is already underway with first round action today. Rory McIlroy, who has won the event in two of the last three years, is the favorite at +350 to win it again. 
7. French Open: It’s more Round 2 action at Roland Garros today. The men’s and women’s singles tournaments continue.