We have a full 15-game slate to begin the weekend in Major League Baseball on Friday. The Cubs and Dodgers are getting things started with an afternoon affair at Wrigley Field, while the nightcap sends the Cardinals to San Francisco for a showdown with the Giants.
Let’s take a look at today’s 3-team mega parlay.
Astros -1.5 (+100)
Rockies ML (+115)
Padres -1.5 (+170)
Parlay odds: +1061
For this parlay we are going with two favorites on the run line and an underdog on the money line. Let’s break down each of the legs one by one.
Houston Astros -1.5 over Detroit Tigers (+100)
Making his 3rd career MLB start will be Beau Brieske, who has the tough challenge of shutting down the Astros’ offense. During his 2 previous starts this season, Brieske allowed 4 runs on 6 hits including 4 walks in 10.0 innings. He enters this matchup with a 3.30 ERA but a 5.19 xERA and a dreadful 16.7% barrel rate. Luis Garcia has not been great for the Astros this season, but fortunately for him he has a 1.79 FIP against the Tigers lineup and in 31 career plate appearances by those batters. The Tigers have scored more than 3 runs in only 1 of their last 8 games. The Astros rank 4th in OPS in the last 7 days and have the more reliable starting pitcher, so they may be able to win this one going away.
Check out our Tigers vs Astros preview
Colorado Rockies ML over Arizona Diamondbacks (+115)
The Rockies come into this series as winners of 5 of their last 6 games. The projected starters on Friday are right-hander Chad Kuhl for the Rockies and right-hander Merrill Kelly for the Diamondbacks, with the smallest of edges going to Kuhl. He is 3-0 in 4 starts with a 1.90 ERA and an amazing 0.85 WHIP. Kelly is almost as good; 2-1 in 5 starts with a 1.27 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. Offensively, the advantage goes to the Rockies. They rank 1st in team average and OPS and 2nd in OBP. The Diamondbacks rank in the bottom 6 in those categories, including last in team average. Look for Colorado’s offense to carry it in the desert.
Check out our Rockies vs Diamondbacks preview
San Diego Padres -1.5 over Miami Marlins (+170)
This game looks to have one of the better pitching duels of the season. The Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara entered the season in the NL Cy Young conversation, while the Padres’ Yu Darvish is one of the best-known names in baseball. Alcantara has largely lived up to the expectations with a 2-1 record and 2.90 ERA. There’s no denying he can throw some heat, but the issue is the run support. Although Miami has one of the best rotations in the league, the Marlins lineup may struggle to hold up their end of the bargain. They haven’t been as bad as some thought entering the season, but they are not consistent enough to be trusted. That is especially the case against Darvish and the Padres. Darvish can have his off days, but he should be trusted to last deep into the game at the very least. He has gone at least 6.0 innings in 4 of his 5 starts and has struck out 5 or more in each of his last 3. A superior Padres lineup should be able to give Darvish more than enough run support.
Check out all our MLB previews and picks for Friday
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