The Minnesota Twins must have felt good for a moment on Tuesday night. They took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. They had Joe Ryan, a pretty good pitcher, on the mound.
Those good feelings were long gone by the end of the first inning.
The Atlanta Braves are a machine. They hit three homers in the first five at-bats of the game, taking a 4-1 lead. Atlanta won 6-2, their second straight win to start the series. The Twins aren’t great but they are in first place of the AL Central, and they probably can’t wait to get out of Atlanta.
The Twins still have one more game against the NL-leading Braves. The Braves are a -160 favorite at BetMGM.
Atlanta is the class of the National League, and maybe MLB as a whole. They’re 52-27, the best record in the NL. They’re a thousandth of a percentage point behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the best record in baseball. The Braves, at +375, are the favorite to win the World Series.
A lot of their success has to do with Ronald Acuna Jr., who isn’t just the NL MVP favorite but is having a potentially historic season. Acuna hit two home runs Tuesday, including a leadoff homer in the first inning. The Braves have played 79 games, a little less than half of the season, and here are Acuna’s numbers: .330 average, 19 homers, 51 RBI, 70 runs, 35 steals. Now double those numbers and you’ll realize that a 40/70 season for Acuna is actually possible.
Acuna is the 200th to win MVP at BetMGM. Acuna doesn’t have the kind of near-lock odds that Shohei Ohtani has in the AL MVP race, but maybe he should. It’s hard to imagine he doesn’t win MVP if he stays healthy.
The Braves will still have to navigate an unpredictable postseason, but it seems likely they’ll maintain their favorite status into October. It will be hard to beat that lineup in the playoffs.
Here’s the first look at the sports betting slate for Wednesday
Among the 15 MLB games on Wednesday, the most intriguing could be in Arizona. The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Rays on Tuesday night, continuing one of the best stories of the first half of the season. The Diamondbacks are 48-32 and in first place of the NL West. A lot of young talent has come together quickly in Arizona. The Rays are -155 favorites on Wednesday, but it’s hard to bet against the Diamondbacks this season.
WNBA has a pair of games
The WNBA regular season continues with two games on Wednesday night. The Los Angeles Sparks at the Chicago Sky is a pick ’em, and the Washington Mystics are 4.5-point favorites against the Atlanta Dream.
What’s the best bet?
I’m going to look at a total on Wednesday. Cincinnati Reds starter Luke Weaver has been every bit as bad as his 6.86 ERA would indicate. Baltimore Orioles starter Kyle Gibson has been OK but still has an ERA of 4.30. The Reds and Orioles can hit. The over of 9.5 seems quite doable.