Ricky Dimon
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As usual, we are kicking off the weekend with a full 15-game slate in Major League Baseball. There are plenty of interleague series on offer, including the Philadelphia Phillies vs. Toronto Blue Jays, the Chicago Cubs vs. Detroit Tigers, and the New York Mets vs. Tampa Bay Rays. All in all, there is plenty to work with in terms of betting opportunities. Let’s take a look at our four-team mega parlay for Friday.
Yankees -1.5 (-125)
Astros -1.5 (-110)
Reds ML (-115)
Dodgers -1.5 (+105)
Parlay odds: +1156
For this parlay we are going with one favorite on the money line and a trio of teams on the -1.5 run lines. Here is a breakdown of the four legs one by one.
New York Yankees -1.5 over Baltimore Orioles (-125)
The O’s did not enjoy their mini-series against the Mets earlier this week, losing both games. They squandered another nice start by John Means in the opener as their offense was pretty non-existent that day and the next. It is hard to have much optimism for Baltimore as they take on a Yankees team that is pitching much better than anticipated this season. Dean Kremer has made a couple of starts against New York already this season. To say they didn’t go well would be an understatement. He gave up nine runs in seven-plus innings. He has yet to win a game this season and has an ERA over 6.00. It is hard to like backing him in this spot. When the Yankees brought in Corey Kluber this offseason they were hopeful. His numbers have not been elite but the Yankees have to be more than pleased with what he has given them.
Check out our full game preview.
Houston Astros -1.5 over Texas Rangers
Ever since they were greeted rudely in their return to Yankee Stadium for the first time since the news of their sign-stealing scandal broke, the Astros’ bats have come alive. Coincidence or not, Houston has been scoring runs in the last week-plus, having put up at least four in seven consecutive games coming into the start of the series against their intrastate rivals. While their pitching staff continues to battle injuries, the whole lineup is currently healthy and is producing from top to bottom, putting the Astros in a comfortable second place as we reach the middle of May. Houston has won five of those past seven games, and all by multiple runs. They’ll be facing Wes Benjamin, a 27-year-old who’s made only one career start, on Friday. Benjamin hasn’t pitched well in his brief major-league career–his ERA is 4.82 in 28.0 innings and he gave up a run on two hits in the only inning he threw against the Astros last season. Houston will give the ball to future Hall of Famer Zack Greinke, who’s aging but can still toss a quality ballgame against a poor offense.
Check out our full game preview.
Cincinnati Reds ML over Colorado Rockies (-115)
The Reds will look to put game one of the series behind them with Wide Miley on the mound for game two. In last night’s game the Rockies were ahead 10-0 after the sixth inning and never looked back. Every position player for the Rockies had a hit after their third at-bat except one guy, so the wealth was being shared on offense. For game two the Rockies will send German Marquez to the mound who has been one of the better pitchers on this pitching staff, but he struggles with walks. He currently sits in the 15th percentile for walks and has the highest WHIP of his six year year career this season. This will be Miley’s first start since his no-hitter against the Indians. He has the highest strikeout percentage of his career this season and currently sits in the 91st percentile for hard-hit percentage.
Check out our full game preview.
Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 over Miami Marlins (+105)
Going into Thursday’s game against the Diamondbacks, the Marlins were hitting just .219 on the road this season. They have been a low-scoring team throughout the first month and a half of the season, and now they have to face Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw is pitching extremely well with a 2.62 ERA through 44.2 innings on the year, and he loves pitching in his home ballpark. So far in 2021 Kershaw owns a 1.35 ERA and a WHIP of 0.80 to go along with 21 strikeouts compared to only two walks at Dodger Stadium. He has also seen success against the Marlins in the past, striking out 102 in 84.2 career innings against them paired with a 2.34 ERA. Sandy Alcantara has been solid for the Marlins, but their offense is hard to back against Kershaw. After a horrendous stretch, the Dodgers seem to be getting back to their winning ways with wins in three of their last four games.
Check out our full game preview.
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