The Atlanta Braves shut down the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the 2021 World Series on Friday evening. The Braves blanked the Astros in a 2-0 final to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven clash, with Game 4 arriving on Saturday. Atlanta will deploy a bullpen game in Game 4, leaning on a deep, talented group of relievers with Dylan Lee serving as the opener. Houston will begin the game with Zack Greinke on the mound, though he isn’t expected to pitch deeper than a few innings.
First pitch is at 8:09 p.m. ET in Atlanta. Caesars Sportsbook lists Atlanta as a slight -110 favorite (risk $110 to win $100) on the money line, while the over-under, or total number of runs Vegas thinks will be scored, is 8.5 in the latest Astros vs. Braves odds. There are also plenty of 2021 World Series prop bets on the board to consider. Before making any Braves vs. Astros picks or MLB predictions for the World Series 2021, you need to see what SportsLine’s No. 1 MLB expert John Bollman has to say.
Bollman combines MLB front-office experience with a deep statistical background. Bollman, who has a master’s degree in biostatistics, worked in the Toronto Blue Jays‘ analytics department in 2018, focusing on high-performance sports science and player development.
In his last 321 MLB picks, Bollman has gone 188-132-1, returning more than $6,100. Anyone who has followed his picks has seen huge returns.
Now, Bollman has set his sights on Game 4 of the Astros vs. Braves World Series 2021 matchup and just revealed his coveted MLB picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his all of his World Series picks and analysis. Here are several MLB odds and World Series betting lines for Braves vs. Astros:
- Astros vs. Braves money line: Braves -110, Astros +100
- Astros vs. Braves over-under: 8.5 runs
- Astros vs. Braves run line: Braves -1.5 (+126)
- Houston: The Astros are 47-40 in 2021 road games
- Atlanta: The Braves are 48-38 in home games this season
Featured Game | Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros
Why you should back the Astros
Houston’s offense has not been as productive as so far this series, but the Astros can bank on improvement. The Astros led all of Major League Baseball in several offensive categories this season, headlined by runs (863) and hits (1,496), and Houston puts the ball in play with the second-fewest strikeouts in the American League. That moves the pressure to the defense, and Houston has a jam-packed lineup that features star power in Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, Yuli Gurriel, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa.
On the run prevention side, the Astros are operating without key pieces in the rotation, but Houston did finish No. 3 in the American League in runs allowed (658) this season and Game 4 should be a game in which Dusty Baker pulls out all the stops. Houston’s relievers combined to strike out 9.9 batters per nine innings this season, and closer Ryan Pressly is one of the American League’s best relief pitchers, posting a 2.25 ERA with more than six strikeouts for every walk this season.
Why you should back the Braves
The Braves are uniquely set up for effectiveness in a matchup that projects to be driven by the team’s bullpen. Atlanta’s relief corps has a 3.18 ERA in 56.2 playoff innings, and the trio of AJ Minter, Will Smith and Tyler Matzek has been completely lights-out in closing out victories. Beyond that, the team’s offense remains potent on paper, and Atlanta could be due for a breakout. The Braves hit more home runs (116) than any National League after the All-Star break, slugging .447 during that time frame.
That coincides with the team making massive upgrades to its outfield around the trade deadline, and the Braves have been winning at a 100-win pace since early August. In the postseason, one of those newly-acquired outfielders has taken center stage, with Eddie Rosario posting a .420/.473/.680 slash line with six extra-base hits in 13 games. Rosario is flanked by reigning 2020 NL MVP Freddie Freeman, who has a .954 OPS in the 2021 MLB playoffs, and the Braves are facing an Astros team that is short-handed in the rotation.
How to make Braves vs. Astros picks
Bollman is going under 0.5 hits for Correa (+180) as one of top Astros vs. Braves props. He has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the money line, and he’s locked in several other strong 2021 World Series prop bets. You can only see his MLB picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Braves vs. Astros in Game 4 of the 2021 World Series? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the money line a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of Braves vs. Astros you need to jump on Saturday, all from the expert that has crushed his MLB picks, and find out.
