There’s going to be a full house to witness the Atlanta Braves first home outing of the 2023 MLB season when they face the San Diego Padres at Truist Park on Thursday evening. The Braves have had a great start to the season, the Padres, an average one. So who will come out on top in this exciting holiday season clash? Let’s take a closer look with our latest MLB betting picks.
In the betting to win the 2023 World Series, the Braves still hold the edge over the Padres. Having started the season as third favorites at +700, the best MLB betting sites still have Brian Snitker’s team at the same price. The difference now is the Yankees have drifted, and the Braves are the second favorites.
As for the Padres, they started the season fourth in the betting at +800. After their indifferent start, the best MLB World Series betting sites still have them in fourth. But they have drifted out to +850, and they’ve also been joined on those odds by the Dodgers.
More MLB World Series betting can be found below on our odds table. For more information about the bookmakers listed, please visit our best online sportsbook reviews page.
| 2023 MLB World Series Winner Betting |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | +650 | +650 | +650 |
| Atlanta Braves | +700 | +700 | +700 |
| New York Yankees | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| San Diego Padres | +850 | +850 | +850 |
| LA Dodgers | +850 | +850 | +850 |
| New York Mets | +900 | +900 | +900 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Cleveland Guardians | +2200 | +2200 | +2200 |
| Seattle Mariners | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| St Louis Cardinals | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Chicago White Sox | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Minnesota Twins | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Boston Red Sox | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
The 2021 World Series winners have started the new season well. From their six game road trip, they are 5-1. In their most recent match on Wednesday, they completed a comfortable 5-2 win over the Cardinals, and now the focus switches back to Truist Park for the next seven matches (they face the Reds after the Padres).
This good start is much needed as well, as their defense of the World Series didn’t go too good last year. They started the 2022 season poorly, but then finished it in sensational style, winning the NL East. But in the postseason, their form reverted back to that of early in the regular season, and they surrendered their World Series meekly, going down 3-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS.
This season the Braves seem to have learned from their mistakes though. They go into the match with the Padres on the front foot. And even at this early stage of the season, Brian Snitker’s team are already looking the part.
In the case of the Padres, this match represents the start of a crucial run of fixtures that will go a long way to telling us if they are the real deal or not. After the four matches at Truist Park, the Padres will head straight to New York for a three match mini-series against the Mets. If the Padres can come through that run successfully, then the whole of Baseball will have to sit up and take them seriously.
Although they are one of the betting favorites to win the World Series this year, the jury still seems to be slightly out on the Padres. This, despite their run to the NLCS last season.
The Padres may have taken care of the Dodgers in the NLDS, but they played second fiddle to their local neighbors throughout the regular season. As a result, punters still aren’t convinced. So this series gives them the chance to show us they really do deserve their place as one of the four favorites to win the World Series.
This season hasn’t started spectacularly well though. In their last outing before this match, the Padres were defeated 8-6 at home by the Diamondbacks. This leaves them with a 3-3 record this season, after six home matches.
Not great form to be going on a difficult seven-match road trip with!
This is the first fixture of a four match mini-series between two of the betting favorites to win the 2023 World Series. The Braves are more in form, and this is reflected on the moneyline where the bookmakers have them at -163 to win. The Padres are +150 to pull off a win on their first road trip of the season.
On the handicap line, the Padres are -150 to win with a start of +1.5 points. Starting from -1.5 points, the Braves are +130. The total points spread is set at 7.5. Over 7.5 is -121, with Under 7.5 at +101.
Whilst we believe the Padres will up their game against a major World Series rival, we’ve seen little to suggest they can defeat an in-form Atlanta. So, we have to go with the Braves to win their opening match for our first betting pick. Moneyline or handicap? You can make your own choice. But with the Braves five wins all beating the spread (albeit against lesser opposition), we’re going for a win on the handicap.
Moving onto the total points line, and if the Padres do make a game of this, it could be high scoring.
Both sides have been involved in high scorers lately. In the case of the Braves, their six matches have seen over 7.5 covered three times, whilst the matches involving the Padres have seen the spread covered four times out of six. We think over 7.5 points is worth a wager and make that our final pick.
About the Author
Dean is primarily a fan of English football who regularly attends games, and combining his hobby with his job, he is now a full-time sports betting writer. Rather than going down the educational route into sports journalism, Dean learned his trade by writing for his English football betting website since 2009, where he now boasts nearly 15 years of experience. After writing about football daily for years, Dean has taken the skills he learned and now uses them to great effect writing for numerous affiliate sites across the internet. A general all-around sports enthusiast with a passion for English football and cricket, Dean is also well able to turn his hand to writing about golf, tennis, F1, boxing, snooker, darts, and North American sports. Combining his extensive knowledge and experience with British humor and wit, Dean has developed into a trusted voice within the sports betting industry.
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