Ricky Dimon
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We have a full 15-game slate on Friday to kick off the weekend in Major League Baseball. All 15 are at night, including two that you can catch on ESPN+ (the Philadelphia Phillies at the San Francisco Giants and the Tampa Bay Rays at the Seattle Mariners). The Giants are part of our three-team parlay along with the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves. Before we get into that, make sure you check out our picks on the side and total for all of today’s matchups.
Let’s take a look at our three-team mega parlay for Friday.
Cleveland Indians -1.5 (+116)
Atlanta Braves -1.5 (+135)
San Francisco Giants -1.5 (+155)
Parlay odds: +1176
For this parlay we are going with three favorites on the run line. Here is a breakdown of the three legs one by one.
Cleveland Indians -1.5 over Pittsburgh Pirates (+105)
The Indians just wrapped up a four-game sweep of the Orioles. Their offense came alive in that series and you should expect more of the same as the unspectacular competition continues in the form of Pittsburgh. Just how bad have the Pirates been? Well, they are the third-worst team in baseball at 23-44 and have lost ten games in a row. Things probably won’t get any better with Chad Kuhl on the mound. Kuhl is 0-4 and is coming off an appearance in which he allowed five earned runs before failing to record an out in the fourth inning. Cleveland first baseman Bobby Bradley has four home runs in just ten games and has only two starts in which he hasn’t recorded a hit.
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Atlanta Braves -1.5 over St Louis Cardinals (+135)
Pittsburgh isn’t the only National League Central representative in atrocious form. St Louis has lost ten of its last 14 games, including the opener of this four-game set in Atlanta via a 4-0 decision on Thursday. Look for the Cardinals’ woes to continue with Carlos Martinez on the mound. Over the past two seasons, Martinez has posted a 6.56 ERA and a 4.68 FIP across 85.0 innings of work. His strikeouts have been way down and his walks have been way up of late. The Braves are countering with Max Fried, who did not rush back from an early-season injury and is reaping the benefits of a clean bill of health. Since returning from the injured list at the beginning of May, he owns a 2.72 ERA and a 3.52 FIP.
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San Francisco Giants -1.5 over Philadelphia Phillies (+155)
Despite quite a few big names and a typically large payroll, the Philadelphia Phillies continue to be one of the most mediocre teams in Major League Baseball. Is it even possible to be “most mediocre”?!?! Maybe not, but what the heck … the Phillies are! They are 33-33, which would be successful for someone like the Pirates. The story is basically the opposite for the Giants. They were supposed to be mediocre at best and instead boast the best record in all of baseball, currently riding a four-game winning streak. Nothing about the pitching matchup suggests that something will change on Friday. For Philly, Vince Velasquez is saddled with a 4.25 ERA and a 5.28 FIP. San Francisco is sending Johnny Cueto to the mound. Cueto is 35 years old, but he is still going strong. Plus he is backed by a superior lineup.
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Make sure you read our best MLB player prop bets for today’s games!
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