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3 Teams to Bet to Win National League Following Ronald Acuna Jr. Injury

Here are three teams to consider winning the pennant after Atlanta superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. went down with a season-ending injury on Sunday afternoon. 

By Shelby Dermer

May 22, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) throws a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports
May 22, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) throws a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports / Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports
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With a strong start to the season, the Atlanta Braves were in a great position for another deep playoff run to capture the franchise’s second World Series in the last four seasons. 

However, the injury bug hit Atlanta in a big way on Sunday afternoon when former MVP and four-time All-Star Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Sunday’s 8-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. 

The Braves are now third on the odds board at +340 to win the National League, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are three picks to win the pennant with Acuna sidelined for the year. 

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Philadelphia Phillies (+300)

With a favorable schedule so far, the Phillies have taken care of business with the best record in baseball (38-16) and have already built a six-game lead over Atlanta for the lead in the National League East.

If Atlanta were to slide, the Phillies could waltz to a division championship as the Washington Nationals (23-28), New York Mets (22-30), and Miami Marlins (19-35) don’t appear to be serious contenders for October. 

The Phillies are -165 to win the NL East and could have home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs. That’s good news as Philadelphia has put up a dominant 22-8 record thus far at Citizens Bank Park. 

With a starting trio of Ranger Suarez (9-1, 1.75 ERA), Aaron Nola (6-2, 3.04 ERA) and Zack Wheeler (6-3, 2.53 ERA) at the top, the Phillies will be a difficult team to beat in any series down the road. On top of that, Philadelphia has the highest-scoring lineup in baseball. 

Milwaukee Brewers (+1400)

The Brewers have a playoff pedigree having made the postseason in five of the last six seasons. Despite losing Craig Counsell, the franchise’s winningest manager, Pat Murphy has led the club to a 30-22 record to start the year and the Brewers have a 3.5-game lead in the NL Central with nearly one-third of the year in the books. 

The Brewers have a hard-hitting lineup and rank tied for second in the majors in runs per game (4.96) and rank second in batting average on ball in play (.311). The Brewers have a top-10 bullpen in terms of ERA and will try to get their starting rotation figured out after losing Wade Miley for the season to Tommy John in April. 

Milwaukee still has Freddy Peralta (3.81 ERA), Colin Rea (3.98 ERA), and Bryse Wilson (2.86 ERA) throwing the ball well on the hill. 

Arizona Diamondbacks (+2500)

Can lightning strike twice in the desert? Last year at this point, Arizona was six games over .500. This season, the Diamondbacks are 25-28 after dropping a series at home against the last-place Marlins. 

Arizona dealt with injuries throughout a turbulent April (14-17) but got scorching starts offensively from guys like Ketel Marte, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Joc Pederson. The Diamondbacks are still waiting on Corbin Carroll (.188/.274/.284) to get going and it’s reasonable to believe the reigning All-Star can turn his season around. 

Arizona ranks 20th in team ERA but has not had the benefit of a healthy rotation all season. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery and Ryne Nelson are back healthy to pair with ace Zac Gallen. Plus, the Diamondbacks can hopefully get Merrill Kelly (60-day IL) back this summer.

Consider this, the Diamondbacks are the only team in the majors with a losing record to have a positive run differential (+3). Arizona is worth a long shot wager to catch fire. 

Game odds update periodically and are subject to change.

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