Caleb Wilfinger
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Following a quieter Thursday night on the diamond, the MLB action picks up in earnest with a full 15-game slate on the docket today, including multiple series that have major playoff implications in the National League. With every team in action, there is plenty to attack and craft an MLB parlay. Let’s dive into today’s MLB parlay picks, as games get underway at 12:40 pm ET with the Brewers taking on the Reds and concludes with the Dodgers taking on the Diamondbacks at 9:40 pm ET. You can also check out all of our MLB picks for the action on Friday, August 30.
Diamondbacks ML (+114)
Guardians -1.5 (+136)
Mariners -1.5 (-115)
MLB parlay odds: +844
For this MLB parlay, I am going with a bet on the Diamondbacks money line, plus the Guardians and Mariners on the run line. Let’s break down each of the legs.
Arizona Diamondbacks ML over Los Angeles Dodgers (+114)
To start it off, I’m going with the Arizona Diamondbacks on the money line in this crucial NL West showdown in the desert. Zac Gallen has seen a slight increase in his ERA while displaying decreased command of the strike zone, but the Arizona ace is still a dangerous option at home. In fact, his home ERA sits nearly a full run lower than his ERA on the road, so he’s in a good position to succeed in tonight’s massive contest. Gallen held a hot Red Sox lineup scoreless through 6 innings of work on the road, and now he returns home to face a Dodgers lineup that he is certainly familiar with and has seen success against before.
The Dodgers have had a plethora of injuries to their pitching, which is why having Clayton Kershaw as an insurance policy has been a blessing for this team. The left-hander has now made 6 starts with results on both ends of the spectrum. At times, Kershaw has been able to lean on his breaking balls and look like his old self, but when he gets behind in counts his fastball becomes more exposed than he would like. It doesn’t help that Kershaw now draws a very difficult matchup against an Arizona lineup that has been the best in baseball for over a month, particularly at home. Let’s back the Diamondbacks to start this series with a victory and shrink that Dodgers lead in the NL West.
Read our full Los Angeles Dodgers vs Arizona Diamondbacks prediction
Cleveland Guardians -1.5 over Pittsburgh Pirates (+136)
For the second leg of this parlay, I’m going with the Cleveland Guardians on the run line. Guardians starter Ben Lively does not have much of an MLB resume under his belt, but the right-hander has put together a career-best season this year for a Cleveland team that has desperately needed his production on the mound. The Guardians have lacked starting pitching health, and their depth has been tested throughout the campaign. Fortunately for Cleveland, Lively has given the team 126.2 innings with a 3.62 ERA and he enters this matchup with back-to-back quality starts under his belt. He’ll also get to face a Pittsburgh lineup that ranks 23rd in OBA against right-handers since the all-star break. We can expect Lively to pitch well enough to give his bullpen a lead, and that’s all Cleveland needs.
Much like the poor performance of the team as a whole recently, a handful of poor outings have seen Bailey Falter’s season-long ERA increase to 4.25. In fact, his 5.11 xERA suggests there is even more room for regression and his inability to generate whiffs could be problematic for this matchup against Cleveland lineup that doesn’t strikeout much. To make matters worse, the Pirates have a significant bullpen disadvantage in this series, so let’s back Cleveland to win this game by at least 2 runs.
Read our full Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cleveland Guardians predictions
Seattle Mariners -1.5 over Los Angels Angels (-115)
To close out this MLB parlay, I’m going with the Seattle Mariners on the run line. Seattle has all but fallen out of the playoff race, and a large part of that is due to its lineup struggling to produce runs at any sort of a consistent rate. However, George Kirby gets the ball in this one for the M’s and the last time he faced the Angels, Kirby turned in a 7-strikeout performance and surrendered just 1 earned run over 6 innings of work.
The Angels, on the other hand, are calling on Samuel Aldegheri, a 22-year-old who will be making a huge jump to the majors after throwing only a couple dozen innings in Double-A. Therefore, even though Seattle’s lineup is arguably the worst in baseball from a strikeout perspective, it’s still fair to project that Aldegheri is going to give up some runs by making a massive jump to the highest level. With a pitching mismatch that should be lopsided and Seattle in a must-win spot, I’ll back the Mariners to win on the run line on Friday.
Read our full Los Angeles Angels vs Seattle Mariners predictions
