Caleb Wilfinger
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The dog days of the MLB season are here as the playoff races heat up. With that comes another slate of baseball from coast to coast on Thursday. And what better way to celebrate than by going for a big payday? That’s right, we’re back with another mega parlay with a payout of over 10/1 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
But before we dive in, be sure to check out our picks for every MLB side and total today. Let’s get into our mega parlay for Thursday.
Chicago White Sox -1.5 (-105)
Detroit Tigers ML (+140)
Miami Marlins ML (+145)
Best parlay odds: +1067 at DraftKings Sportsbook
Odds available at time of publishing.
Let’s break down each of the legs one by one.
Chicago White Sox -1.5 (-105) over Kansas City Royals
To start off this mega parlay, we are going with the Chicago White Sox on the run line. This one boils down to an imbalance in the starting pitching matchup. The White Sox are going to lean on Dylan Cease, as they have all season long. Cease has been outstanding this season. He has an ERA of just under 2.00, which is now 2nd-best among qualified starters. In the first 5 innings, he’s even more dominant. He’s held his opponents to fewer than 2 runs in 16 of 21 starts. Kansas City will have its hands full against Cease and his 1.3 road ERA. Expect another CY Young performance from the 26-year-old.
The Royals will counter with Zack Greinke, who has been extremely inconsistent in 2022. The Royals starter holds an ERA of 4.58 and has allowed 3 ER or more in 6 of 10 starts. He’s also in the bottom 5 percentile of all starters in xBA, strikeout percentage and whiff rate. This one should be a comfortable victory for Chicago, so I have no problem backing them on the run line.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Chicago White Sox vs Kansas City Royals
Detroit Tigers ML (+140) over Cleveland Guardians
For the second leg of our mega parlay, we are going with the Tigers on the money line. This isn’t the greatest pitching matchup, but I believe Detroit has a slight edge overall. Yes, Garrett Hill has been middling at best, but Guardians starter Zach Plesac has been worse. Plesac had a terrible month of July, which capped off a poor first half of the season. For the month, Plesac went 0-4 with a 5.84 ERA and a sky-high 1.50 WHIP. In fact, the only time the Guardians won with him starting that month was with Plesac still allowing 5 runs in under 4 innings. The outings only get worse for Plesac when he’s away from Progressive Field, as the right-hander is 1-7 with a 5.31 ERA on the road. As it just so happens, this start will take place at Comerica Park on the Tigers’ home field. The Guardians are 3-8 in Plesac’s 11 starts on the road this season, and I don’t expect that to change now.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Cleveland Guardians vs Detroit Tigers
Miami Marlins ML (+145) over Philadelphia Phillies
For the final leg of our mega parlay, we are going with the Marlins on the money line. It’s tough to step in front of the red-hot Phillies right now given their current form. However, Thursday’s game features an electric starter for the Marlins in Edward Cabrera. Cabrera alone is enough to give Miami good value as road underdogs at this price. The hard-throwing righty for Miami has racked up 23 strikeouts in just 20.2 innings so far in 2022. He’s made 4 starts for the Marlins this season, while surrendering more than 1 run only once. The Phillies lineup is scorching at the moment, but Cabrera’s stuff is good enough to slow them down.
Cabrera might also get some run support from the Marlins offense, and they have a good chance to do so against Kyle Gibson. The Phillies starter has a 4.36 ERA on the season, and his advanced metrics aren’t pretty. The Marlins should be aggressive at the plate against Gibson and tack on some runs early. At this price, taking a shot on the road underdogs is worth a play.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Miami Marlins vs Philadelphia Phillies
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