Ricky Dimon
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We are kicking off the weekend in Major League Baseball with a full 15-game schedule. It is headlined by a crucial National League East contest between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets are seeing their division lead evaporate; they have lost four of their last five, the Phillies (a half-game back) have won five in a row, and the Atlanta Braves (1.5 games out) have won three straight. Here is our New York vs Philadelphia same game parlay, and be sure to check out our full game preview for picks on the side and total.
Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 (+154)
Bryce Harper to hit a home run (+300)
Marcus Stroman under 4.5 strikeouts (-118)
Part of the value in same game parlays, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is the entire plan here, as Philadelphia right fielder Bryce Harper going deep and New York starter Marcus Stroman recording no more than four strikeouts obviously go well with a Phillies win. Let’s break down each of the three legs one by one.
Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 (+154)
To say the last week of baseball has been a disappointment for the Mets would be a gross understatement. In fact, it has been downright pathetic. Losing 4 of 5 games and 6 of 8 may not be the worst stretch in the world, but the eye test has confirmed that New York is simply playing terribly in all aspects of the game. Not even trade-deadline acquisition Javier Baez has helped. On Thursday he became the first Met in 28 years to strike out 5 times in a single game. New York now goes into Philadelphia barely hanging on to first place in the NL East. Stroman has been effective for the Mets in 2021, but he has been a consistent victim of poor run support and is saddled with a 7-10 record. Phillies starter Kyle Gibson is sporting a 2.86 ERA and a 7-3 record. Philly has all of the momentum and it should be more of the same tonight.
Bryce Harper to hit a home run (+300)
Harper has homered in a two of the last three games. He is on a 6-game hitting streak, during which he has produced a pair of 3-hit performances. The 28-year-old outfielder is seeing it like a beach ball at the moment. It should also be noted that 16 of Harper’s 18 dingers in 2021 have come against right-handed pitchers. He is batting .319 against righties compared to .276 vs lefties.
Marcus Stroman under 4.5 strikeouts (-118)
Stroman may be in fine form, but he is not exactly a strikeout pitcher. Not once has he recorded more strikeouts than innings pitched during his six-year major-league career (seven if you include this one, which has him at 101 strikeouts in 122.0 innings). The right-handed has failed to reach the 5K mark in 3 of his last 4 appearances. He has also failed to do so in 6 of his last 8 —a stretch that includes two zero-strikeout performances. It’s hard to see Stroman setting down a lot of Phillies tonight.
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