Ricky Dimon
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We have an 11-game slate in Major League Baseball on Thursday. It is getaway day for many teams, with a lot of series wrapping up before new ones begin on Friday. Thus there are actually more businessman’s specials (six) than night games (five). Among the clubs in action as the sun goes down are the Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Let’s take a look at the best four-team parlay option for today’s schedule on the baseball diamonds.
Nationals ML (-167)
Rays -1.5 (+115)
Athletics -1.5 (+120)
Dodgers -1.5 (-137)
Parlay odds: +1496
For this parlay we are going with three favorites on the run line and one favorite to win straight up. Let’s break down each of the four legs one by one.
Washington Nationals ML over Arizona Diamondbacks (-167)
The Nationals will host a four-game series against the Diamondbacks starting on Thursday, and left-hander Patrick Corbin will be on the mound for the home side. Although he didn’t make it through the fifth inning in his first start, his chances for a quality start are much higher in this one. Corbin faced the Dodgers in his first outing, and they have the most dangerous lineup in baseball. The Diamondbacks’ lineup, of course, is not nearly as threatening—and they are still without Ketel Marte, who was their best hitter to start the season. Arizona is really struggling to drive in runs, as a .186 average with RISP is third-worst in the league. Look for Corbin to put together a strong outing against his former team.
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Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 over Texas Rangers (+115)
Texas has the worst lineup in the American League and the one bat with any pedigree, Joey Gallo, is not doing much. The Rangers’ starting rotation is poor and their bullpen is one of the worst in the league according to WAR. It is hard to see how they are going to win a lot of games this season. They probably won’t; and they almost certainly won’t against the Rays on Thursday. Tampa Bay is not being very Tampa Bay-like to start the season, but that should not matter in this one. Veteran lefty Rich Hill is taking the mound and he should be able to outduel Texas pitcher Jordan Lyles.
Check out our full game preview.
Oakland Athletics -1.5 over Detroit Tigers (+120)
The Athletics lost six games in a row to start the 2021 season, but they have gotten things in order and are now on a four-game winning streak. They will host a Tigers team that is fresh off a three-game sweep of the Astros. Even though both teams are hot, the edge in this one has to go to Oakland. The Tigers’ offense is turning heads, as they have hit the second-most home runs in all of baseball with 19. However, every single one of those home runs is against a right-handed pitcher. They will be facing left-hander Sean Manaea in this one, and Detroit is just 9-for-48 (.188) against lefties this season. The Tigers are hitting only .224 overall, which is 22nd in the league. Tarik Skubal will get the nod for the Tigers, and they have not won many games when he pitches. Last year Detroit was 2-6 in games that featured Skubal and so far this year the team is 0-2 in such situations.
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Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 over Colorado Rockies (-137)
L.A. has already reached double-digits in the win column this season and there is no reason to think the defending World Series champions won’t add to it on Thursday. Julio Urías gets the ball for the Dodgers opposite Austin Gomber for the Rockies. Urías and the Dodgers are the recommended side to get the multi-run win due to LA’s stability both on the mound and at the plate. Urías opened up his 2021 season against Colorado on April 4, going 7.0 innings while allowing one run on three hits. Another deep Urías outing would put the Dodger bullpen in a favorable position to keep a lead intact. Rockies starter Gomber did not fare very well against the Dodgers in his first start, lasting only 3.0 innings and allowing three runs.
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