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 hefty 13-game slate on Friday. The games get underway with the Los Angeles Dodgers taking on the Minnesota Twins at 1:10 pm ET and will go into the night, concluding with the Houston Astros taking on the Kansas City Royals at 7:30 pm ET. And what better way to celebrate a full slate of baseball than with a mega parlay? That’s right, I’ve crafted a 3-leg parlay for the action at +840 odds.
Below is my MLB mega parlay for Wednesday, and be sure to also check out all of our MLB picks for today’s action.
Cubs ML (+130)
Mets vs Braves over 9.5 (-110)
Red Sox first 5 innings run line -0.5 (+114)
MLB parlay odds: +840
For this parlay, I am going with an underdog on the money line, an underdog in the first 5 innings and a game to go over the total. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
Chicago Cubs ML over San Diego Padres (+130)
Despite their hot start, the Cubs are slated as underdogs when they send out 11-year Chicago vet, Kyle Hendricks. Hendricks is coming off a productive 2023 campaign after posting a 3.75 ERA, alongside numerous impressive marks in hard-hit rate, walk rate, and chase rate per Baseball Savant. However, he hasn’t seen the same level of success through 2 outings this season. Hendricks hasn’t pitched past the 4th inning in either outing and allowed 5 earned runs in both starts. In Hendricks’ defense, he did go up against two of the best lineups in baseball, something the Padres lineup can’t quite compare to.
The Padres will counter with newly acquired Dylan Cease, making his third start since coming over from the Chicago White Sox. Cease has looked strong in his first couple of outings, but this time he’ll be taking on a Cubs offense that is 4th in OPS, while scoring at least 5 runs in 8 of their 11 games. Let’s back Chicago on the money line in this National League clash.
Read our full Chicago Cubs vs San Diego Padres predictions
New York Mets vs Atlanta Braves over 9.5 (-110)
Both games in this series have featured some messy bullpen work, especially from Atlanta, as that looks to be the fly in the ointment for the Braves in the early going. As a result, the Braves are generally trying to win by out-hitting the opponent, and that most likely sets us up for another high-scoring affair tonight.
As far as starting pitching is concerned, Atlanta will be starting Allan Winans, who has been in the bullpen if needed, but will get the start against the Mets after Spencer Strider went down. That probably means more work for the Braves’ bullpen, which is good news for over bettors in this matchup. The Mets will give the ball to Jose Quintana, who has been effective in his first couple of starts. Still, I just do not trust Quintana at this stage of his career, and I would be surprised if the mighty Atlanta offense doesn’t light him up and chase him quickly. Take the Atlanta bats, plus two vulnerable starters and that adds up to a play on the over for me tonight.
Check out our full New York Mets vs Atlanta Braves predictions
Boston Red Sox First 5 innings run line -0.5 over Baltimore Orioles (+114)
Although Baltimore’s offense exploded for 13 hits in Tuesday’s win over the Red Sox, Boston’s pitching matchup favors them in this contest. The Red Sox will send Kutter Crawford to the mound against Orioles left-hander Cole Irvin. Crawford has been outstanding to start 2024, allowing just a single earned run over 10.2 innings with 12 strikeouts in the process. He dominated Baltimore last season, tossing 6 shutout innings with 7 strikeouts. On the other hand, Irvin struggled mightily against Boston in 2023, giving up a whopping 9 runs in 10.2 innings over a trio of starts. Red Sox sluggers like Rafael Devers and Triston Casas have enjoyed success against the soft-tossing lefty, and I think they’ll strike quickly in this one. Let’s take Boston in the first 5 innings.
