Kevin Davies
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It’s a super Sunday of sports today with plenty of action throughout the day. There’s a huge slate in the MLB to go with a very busy Week 3 slate in the NFL, but I’ve kept my focus on the diamond for this 12/1 parlay.
Twins -1.5 (+128)
Pirates -1.5 (+130)
Giants -1.5 (+158)
Parlay odds: +1252
Minnesota Twins -1.5 (+128) over Boston Red Sox
Last night’s game between these two teams was postponed due to rain which means we are in for a doubleheader today. The first game starts a little after noon, and it features Pablo Lopez for the Twins and Nick Pivetta for the Red Sox. Lopez was scheduled to start last night but earned an unexpected extra day of rest with the game being postponed which is just one of the many reasons for taking the Twins today. The next reason would be that Lopez has been incredible in the last few weeks and has surrendered just 5 earned runs in his last 6 outings. He’s been great at keeping the ball in the park and his strikeout rate has climbed in his last few starts which gives me the confidence that he can take down the Red Sox lineup which will be without Rafael Devers. Boston’s postseason aspirations appear to be gone and they’ve waved the white flag on the season. Expect Minnesota to take advantage and get a much-needed win.
Pittsburgh Pirates -1.5 (+130) over Cincinnati Reds
If this is the last time that we get to see Paul Skenes pitch this season, it was an honor just to be able to watch his historic rookie season. The right-hander owns a 2.07 ERA with a 0.98 WHIP in 21 starts this year and has yet to show any signs of fatigue down the stretch. Skenes is 1-2 with a 1.06 ERA in 3 starts this month and has limited hitters to just a .191 xBA with a 32% strikeout rate in that time. He’s taking on a Reds lineup that he has dominated this season: 12 innings, 8 hits, 1 earned run, and 16 strikeouts. Skenes is being countered by Cincinnati’s own flame-thrower, Hunter Greene. The right-hander has been sidelined for over a month due to a sore elbow but threw a simulated game on Tuesday in preparation for today. Still, I’m worried about Greene shaking off some rust and being on a pitch count. I’ll side with Skenes for the multi-run win.
San Francisco Giants -1.5 (+158) over Kansas City Royals
As the season goes on, Blake Snell just gets better. The southpaw comes into this outing with a stunning 2.60 xERA and has limited hitters to a .181 xBA with a 34.3% strikeout rate this season. He’s been even better in the last few weeks since he’s limited hitters to a .134 batting average and .157 xBA since the calendar flipped to August. His most recent outing was a display of pure dominance as he threw 6 scoreless innings and surrendered just 1 hit while striking out 12 against the Orioles. His opponent tonight will be the Royals, who have gone ice-cold at the plate. Kansas City ranks 27th in batting average, 29th in OPS, and 29th in wRC+ in September. With the Royals struggling at the plate and Snell on the mound for the Giants, this could be another blowout in favor of San Francisco.
