The Daily Sweat: Led by MVP favorite Ronald Acuña Jr., the Braves are rolling
The Minnesota Twins must have felt good for a moment Tuesday. 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 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, marking its second straight win to start the series. The Twins aren't great, but they are in first place in 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. The Braves are 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 Acuña Jr., who isn't just the NL MVP favorite but is also having a potentially historic season. Acuña 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 Acuña's numbers: .330 average, 19 homers, 51 RBI, 70 runs, 35 steals. Double those numbers, and you'll realize that a 40/70 season for Acuña is actually possible.
Acuña is -200 to win MVP at BetMGM. He 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 that Acuña 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, and it will be difficult to beat that lineup in the playoffs.
Here's the first look at the sports betting slate for Wednesday.
Diamondbacks look to stay hot
Among the 15 MLB games Wednesday, the most intriguing could be in Arizona. The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Rays on Tuesday, 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 Wednesday, but it's difficult to bet against the Diamondbacks this season.
WNBA has a pair of games
The WNBA regular season continues with two games Wednesday. 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 to 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.
