Pick and Prediction for Braves vs. Rockies – Saturday, June 4th, 2022

The reigning champions in the Atlanta Braves are in Colorado to face the Rockies for a 4-game series. Atlanta’s in second place in the NL East right now, but they are a whopping 9.5 games back behind the Mets.

It hasn’t been the season the Braves have hoped for since winning last year’s championship. They are sitting at 26-27 after the first two games of the series against the Rockies. The Rockies haven’t been having a successful season themselves, but their expectations for this season were low to begin with.

With that being said, every game is different. Both teams have had their struggles this season, so they could look for an opportunity to capitalize on the matchup. Let’s take a look at Saturday’s Braves vs. Rockies odds.

Here are the Braves vs. Rockies betting odds for Saturday’s game from the best MLB betting sites. It’s Game 3 of the 4-game series after the Braves won the first two games of the series.

Atlanta is considered the favorite for this game for a number of reasons. Despite what their record says, they have some very talented players in their lineup. If this Braves team gets hot, they can get right back into World Series form.

Colorado has not been as impressive this season and has struggled to perform at a high level. They are sitting in last place in one of the toughest divisions in baseball, so things might not change for a while.

With that being said, this game is set to be in Colorado. That means either of these teams can put up insane numbers on the scoreboard. No lead is safe in Colorado, so it just depends on who can pitch the best or who’s bats are hottest.

The over/under run line for this game is set around a staggering 12 runs, which is a good implication of what it’s like to play in Colorado. Let’s break down each of the teams individually to see if they can win this game.

Like I said earlier, this is Game 3 of the 4-game series. These two teams are set to face off later this season for a 3-game series in Atlanta (August 30/31, September 1st) as well. Each team brings something to the table, so let’s see what that is.

The Atlanta Braves have been inconsistent this year, but maybe a trip to Colorado will get their bats going in the right direction. Their offense is scoring (4.3 runs per game) runs per game coming into this one, which ranks 13th (tied) best in the MLB.

Run prevention has been a bit worse this season at 4.4 (18th) runs allowed per game. All eyes are going to be on Spencer Strider and his killer mustache for this game. He’s pitched 28.2 innings this year to an ERA of 3.45. He throws a fastball most of the time (73%) which sits just below triple digits.

Spencer Strider throwing ⛽️

All 100mph 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WTLQpSVnYk

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 22, 2022

His secondary pitch is his slider (22% thrown) with a changeup he uses sparingly (5%). Only having basically two pitches is not a good long-term plan, but Strider has some serious potential.

If he can add a couple more pitches in his mix, he can be a very talented starter in the MLB. This is going to be his second start of the season after being mostly used as a long reliever this year.

24.1 of his innings were in the bullpen with a stellar 2.22 ERA. His first start of the season was against the Diamondbacks and it did not go as well. Strider gave up 5 ER in 4.1 IP, so he’ll be looking to improve on that outing.

The 23 year old pitcher has a lot of talent. If the Braves get him some run support (which is likely in Colorado), they could be in a good position to win this game.

Strider does have a lot of talent, but he could also be vulnerable. Arizona does not have one of the best offenses in the MLB and he was unable to hold them down. Stretching out a pitcher is not something you can just do any time you want.

Ronald Acuna, Ozzie Albies, and Dansby Swanson are a combined 15 for 31 (.483 average) with 2 home runs and 10 RBI against Freeland in their careers. Other than those three players, the other Braves’ hitters are a combined 5 for 26 (.192) against Freeland.

If Freeland can hold Acuna and Swanson, he might have a chance to have a good outing.

Grabbing a lead will be very important for the Rockies here, as you do not want to be losing late against the Braves.

After taking a look at the potential player prop picks to combine into a Same Game Parlay, I find Braves’ players a lot more intriguing here. The Braves are righty-heavy in their lineup and Freeland is a lefty. Freeland has given up 14 doubles and 2 home runs to righties this year, compared to just 2 doubles and 3 home runs to lefties.

That means Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna, Dansby Swanson, and Austin Riley could have tee off on him in this game.

Albies is 5 for 15 (.333) against Freeland in his career with 2 doubles and a triple. He’s also struck out just once out of those 15 at-bats. He sees Freeland very well and could have a chance to have a big day here.

He also has 5 doubles in his last 8 games.

Calling on Ronald Acuña Jr. as your pinch-hitter is just unfair.

Tie game. pic.twitter.com/cK8j2zm9rN

— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) May 28, 2022

Acuna is 3 for 4 (.750) against Freeland in his career with a home run. His offensive skill set in Colorado is going to be very fun to watch, so make sure you tune into MLB Network to watch this game.

Austin Riley doesn’t have any career ABs against Freeland yet, but he’s on fire right now. He has 4 multi-hits games in his last 6 and has the righty-lefty advantage.

Strider is a big strikeout pitcher too and could pitch his longest game of the season. Being in Colorado is scary, but the Rockies’ offense is vulnerable. He was still able to reach 7 strikeouts in his first start despite allowing 5 runs.

These picks combine for (+397) odds on Bovada, so head over there to place your bets.

At the end of the day, the Braves seem like the team to rely on here. In addition to their run line, there are a couple of other bets that look viable here. You can take their moneyline for less odds but a better chance of hitting. The over looks to be a good bet as well even though the run total is very high for this game.

I think Spencer Strider has a lot of potential and should give the Braves a great chance of winning this game. He may not pitch very deep, but Atlanta’s bullpen is as good as it gets and can finish the job.

All signs are pointing to a nice Braves win in this one. That should be music to their ears as well, considering the Mets have a commanding hold on first place right now. Atlanta might already be in danger of battling it out for a Wild Card spot.

Be sure to head back to our sports betting picks page for more recommended bets.