Caleb Wilfinger
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With MLB Opening Day in the rearview mirror, we are off and running in this 2024 Major League Baseball season. Action on the diamond continues with a smaller 6-game slate on Thursday. The games get underway with the New York Mets hosting the Detroit Tigers at 12:10 pm ET and concludes with the Chicago White Sox taking on the Kansas City Royals at 7:40 pm ET. Below is my MLB mega parlay for Thursday, while you can also check out all of our MLB picks for today’s action.
Twins -1.5 (+140)
Pirates vs Nationals over 8.5 (-120)
Cardinals -1.5 (+130)
MLB parlay odds: +912
For this parlay, I am going with 2 favorites on the run line and a game to go over the total. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
Minnesota Twins -1.5 over Cleveland Guardians (+140)
While the Guardians’ offense has been stellar thus far — tied for 3rd with 46 runs in 7 games and posting a .283 BA as a team – Twins starter Pablo Lopez could be the arm to slow them down. The right-hander posted an excellent 7-inning outing in his first appearance of 2024, surrendering just 1 run while racking up 7 strikeouts. Lopez finished 2023 with a 3.00 xERA through 32 starts and should continue his good run of form against a divisional rival at home.
On the other side, the Guardians are dishing out Tanner Bibee on the mound, who had a rough first outing to start the new season, giving up 3 earned runs on 6 hits and 5 walks while struggling with his command against a very poor A’s lineup. Things certainly won’t get any easier against a Twins lineup that is due for a breakout performance at home. Lopez definitely holds the advantage on the mound and the Twins have the more rested bullpen, with 6 of their bullpen arms on at least 2 days of rest, so let’s take Minnesota to win this game comfortably.
Read our full Cleveland Guardians vs Minnesota Twins predictions
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals over 8.5 (-120)
Of all of the starting pitching matchups on Thursday’s slate, this is the one that is most likely to produce a high-scoring affair in my estimation. The Pirates have been playing at a high level to open the 2024 campaign and much of that has to do with their offense, as Pittsburgh has tallied at least 6 runs in all but 1 of its games to this point. I don’t expect that productivity to drop off in this matchup, as the Pirates should take advantage of a favorable matchup against Nationals starter Josiah Gray, who just surrendered 8 hits and 7 earned runs in 4 innings of work against the Reds. I’m also looking to fade Pirates starter Martin Perez this season, who finished with a 4.90 xERA in 2023 and is already holds 5.49 xERA this season. Let’s fade both starting pitchers and get to the over in this one.
St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 over Miami Marlins (+130)
The first week of the season has not been kind to Miami, as the Marlins have yet to win, piling up an unsightly 7 losses thus far, including getting swept at the hands of the lowly Angels. At the moment, Jake Burger is the only batter in the Marlins lineup who is hitting above .260, but he also manages to lead the team in strikeouts as well. Things haven’t been much better on the mound, as the Marlins starters and relievers have both struggled mightily through the first week of the season.
On the other side, the Cardinals have had a much harder schedule than Miami to this point, but St. Louis did win a road series against the Padres after keeping things competitive for most of their series with the Dodgers. There are signs of life in this Cardinals squad and I believe Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and company will be happy to take advantage of a Marlins team that is in a downward spiral.
Read our full St. Louis Cardinals vs Miami Marlins predictions
