Braves, Dodgers Off to Expected Big Starts
Braves vs Dodgers Odds: LA Impressive 18-14-1 Against Over/Under
It is never too early to start thinking about October. That’s especially true in this case, the the Atlanta Braves roll into Dodger Stadium for a three-game weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
A month into the MLB season, Atlanta and Los Angeles stand apart as the biggest favorites to win the World Series at +320 and +380, respectively. Nobody else is currently priced better than +750.
That should generate plenty of intrigue, starting with Friday’s series opener at 10:10 p.m. ET. It’ll be a battle of right-handers as Charlie Morton duels Gavin Stone.
The game is practically a pick ’em, as both teams opened with -105 moneyline odds. Meanwhile, the projected total is 9.0.
What can bettors expect? Read on as we break down both MLB teams and assess the Braves vs Dodgers odds in our MLB series preview.
Game 1
Braves vs Dodgers 
Day/Time:
Location: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California
Braves vs Dodgers Betting Trends
The Atlanta Braves are 14-15 against the run line, including just 2-5 over their last seven games. A majority of the Braves’ games have hit the Under, as they are just 12-15-2 against the Over/Under.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers are 16-17 ATS, including 7-3 over their last 10 games. As for the Over/Under, the Dodgers are 18-14-1 for a cover rate of 56.3%. Only four teams have hit the Over at a higher rate.
That’s important to remember when analyzing the Braves vs Dodgers odds.
Braves Slugging Way into First
Atlanta has been as good as advertised through the season’s first month. The Braves (20-9) lead MLB with a .690 winning percentage, while their plus-48 run differential ranks second behind only the Dodgers (plus-49).
The Braves also entered Thursday ranked fourth in runs (157) and second in batting average (.266). That’s despite Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley and Matt Olson, three of their biggest bats, getting off to uncharacteristically slow starts. Marcell Ozuna has made up for it by smashing nine homers to go with 32 RBI and a 1.027 OPS.
Atlanta’s lineup must continue to carry a lot of weight given the season-ending MLB injury to ace Spencer Strider (elbow). Strider came into the season as the NL Cy Young favorite but lasted only two starts before needing to undergo surgery to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow.
Despite his absence, the Braves continue to stack up against MLB’s best teams. They are -330 favorites to win the NL East and +210 to win the pennant, with only the Dodgers (+180) ahead of them on the odds board.
Meanwhile, the Braves’ World Series odds are +380, again second behind Los Angeles (+320).
Despite their success, the Braves have been a slight liability for bettors going 14-15 ATS. They covered just once in their three-game series in Seattle and are 1-4 ATS over their last five games. Be sure to keep that in mind when assessing the Braves vs Dodgers odds.
Cream of the Crop
Are the Dodgers baseball’s team-to-beat? It’s very early, but they certainly look the part. Los Angeles leads the NL West with a 20-13 record and has outscored opponents by a MLB-best 49 runs.
The Dodgers went 9-2 on their recent nine-game road trip, including an 8-0 victory over Arizona on Wednesday.
It should come as no surprise to bettors that the Dodgers are favorites to win not only the NL West (-750) but also the World Series. They have failed to live up to those expectations of late, losing in the NLCS in 2021 and the NLDS each of the last two seasons.
The hope, of course, is that Shohei Ohtani will help put Los Angeles over the top. Ohtani has gotten off to a terrific start, hitting .336 with seven homers, 19 RBI and a 1.017 OPS.
His presence alongside Mookie Betts (1.104 OPS) has deepened an already dangerous lineup. The Dodgers lead MLB in runs scored (177) and batting average (.271) and are tied for fourth in home runs (38) entering Thursday’s live baseball scores.
The Dodgers are poised to only get stronger as their rotation rounds into form health-wise. Walker Buehler is expected to return Monday after missing nearly two full years with Tommy John surgery.
The two-time All-Star — who hasn’t thrown a big league pitch since June 10, 2022 — went 0-2 with a 4.15 ERA over 21.2 innings during a recent rehab stint with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Fellow starters Dustin May (elbow) and Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) aren’t expected back until later this season from their respective injuries.
While the Dodgers are only 16-17 ATS, they have been among baseball’s best Over/Under bets. The Dodgers have gone Over the total in 56.3% of their MLB games, including seven of the last 12.
That bodes well in a series that figures to be high scoring.
Series Probables
Game 1
- Friday, 10:10 p.m. ET
- Charlie Morton vs Gavin Stone
Morton is 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA. The 40-year-old right-hander is coming off arguably his best start of the season, having thrown seven shutout innings in a 4-2, 11-inning loss to Cleveland on Saturday.
He has allowed only two homers over his first 30 innings.
The Dodgers will counter with Stone, who is 2-1 with a 4.68 ERA. The 25-year-old right-hander turned in the longest outing of his young career in his last start, going seven innings in a 12-2 victory over Toronto last Friday.
Stone allowed only two hits and one run.
Game 2
- Saturday, 9:10 p.m. ET
- Bryce Elder vs Tyler Glasnow
Elder has pitched 12 innings since beginning the MLB season at Triple-A Gwinnett, allowing two runs. He was an All-Star last season but struggled in the spring, ultimately losing the fifth starter’s spot.
He will face Glasnow, who is off to a stellar start in his first year as a Dodger. Glasnow is tied for the Major League lead with five wins to go with a 2.72 ERA and 0.93 WHIP.
He also has 53 strikeouts in 43 innings. He went six innings in his last start, allowing just a run on two hits in a 4-2 win over the Blue Jays last Saturday.
Glasnow currently has the third-best NL Cy Young odds at +700, trailing Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta (+450) and Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler (+500).
Game 3
- Sunday, 4:10 p.m. ET
- Max Fried vs James Paxton
After an in a suspicious start to the season, Fried has fared much better of late. The star left-hander has thrown 15 consecutive scoreless innings, including a three-hit shutout in a 5-0 victory over Miami on April 23.
In his last start, Monday against Seattle, Fried was pulled at 100 pitches despite carrying a no-hitter through six innings. Overall, he is 2-0 with a 4.02 ERA.
His counterpart, Paxton, is 3-0 with a 3.51 ERA. Some regression is likely though, as Paxton has walked 22 batters in just 25.1 innings. Keep that in mind when compiling your best MLB bets.
For free MLB picks for today, betting analysis and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
