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 massive 15-game slate on Tuesday. The action starts between the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies at 6:40 pm ET on TBS and concludes with the San Francisco Giants taking on the LA Dodgers at 10:10 pm ET on TBS. Below is my MLB mega parlay for Tuesday, while you can also check out all of our MLB picks after we went 9-1 yesterday!
Rays ML (-155)
Reds ML (+120)
Diamondbacks first 5 innings run line -0.5 (+110)
MLB parlay odds: +660
For this parlay I am going with 1 favorite on the money line, an underdog on the money line and a first 5 innings bet. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
Tampa Bay Rays ML over Texas Rangers (-155)
While the Rangers bats have gotten off to a strong start in 2024, the injury to Josh Jung during Monday’s game will leave a hole in the Texas lineup that has been hitting well in the early going. Despite their record, the Rays lineup has been hitting well, and they’ll stack up a string of righties to face Andrew Heaney. Heaney is making his first start of the season, and it’s hard to trust that he’ll keep the hard contact limited against this Tampa Bay lineup.
On the other side, while Zach Eflin was knocked around in his first start, I expect him to settle back in for his second outing at home. Conversely, Heaney is more of a risk since he is making his first start and has struggled to keep the ball in the park in recent seasons. In general, Eflin is more reliable than Heaney and the Tampa lineup should have a platoon advantage, so let’s go with the Rays in this one.
Read our full Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Rays predictions
Cincinnati Reds ML over Philadelphia Phillies (+120)
Graham Ashcraft has struggled with consistency throughout his MLB career, as his stuff generally tends to fluctuate depending on the outing. Nonetheless, the right-hander has been fully capable of taking on plenty of innings in the past for Cincinnati, and with the team hoping to contend for an NL Central crown this season, they hope he can take a step forward with his consistency in 2024. For what it’s worth, I think Ashcraft should see success against the Phillies left-handed bats in this one.
On the other side, Spencer Turnbull has battled numerous injuries over the years, as he’s only made 10 starts since his no-hitter back in May 2021. Coming into this season, his spring training workload consisted of only 4 true outings, so I question how long he’ll go in this game. The Phillies bullpen has been lackluster to start the season as well, so if the game is close late I like the Reds chances.
Read our full Cincinnati Reds vs Philadelphia Phillies predictions
Arizona Diamondbacks first 5 innings run line -0.5 over New York Yankees (+110)
The Yankees are undoubtedly a different team than that of the last couple of seasons, and it starts with their much-improved lineup thanks to the acquisition of Juan Soto. However, New York is in for a challenge on Tuesday against Zac Gallen and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Gallen has picked up right where he left off last season, as he holds a 1-0 record on the year, giving up only 1 earned run in 5 innings while striking out 3 in the Diamondbacks win over the Rockies last week. He should feel comfortable at home, even against this hot Yankee lineup.
On the other side, Nestor Cortes gets the ball for New York, and it’s safe to say his start to the season was a rocky one against the Astros, which was a continuation of last season’s theme for him. Given Gallen’s edge in this starting pitching matchup, I’ll be targeting the first 5 innings for the final 5 innings of this MLB parlay.
Read our full New York Yankees vs Arizona Diamondbacks predictions
