Andrew Ortenberg
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The 2021 MLB season kicked off almost a month ago now, and the action has been jam-packed. Why not celebrate the hump-day by going for a big payday on Wednesday? That’s right, we’re back with another MLB mega parlay, this time a three-teamer with a payout north of 15/1, where we’re counting on the Cardinals to keep up their recent success.
We’re going big and bold, so let’s not waste any more time. We’re diving in, but don’t forget to check out our picks for the side and total on every MLB game, with our team of experts in red-hot form to start the season.
Kansas City Royals -1.5 (+140)
St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (+175)
San Francisco Giants -1.5 (+160)
Parlay odds: +1616
Let’s break down each of the three legs one by one.
Kansas City Royals -1.5 (+140)
I’ll admit it, I didn’t think the Royals would start off 14-8. But here we are. Kansas City’s pitching has been great recently, and I think that will continue here with Mike Minor against a weak Pittsburgh offense. The Pirates haven’t scored more than six runs once in their past 12 games, so their ceiling is pretty low. They’ll also be starting Mitch Keller here, who has been a disaster so far. Through four starts, Keller has a 7.16 ERA. Keller’s career ERA is 6.07 in 20 starts , so I don’t think that’s a fluke. He’s yet to make it deeper than five innings, so he’s going to tax the bullpen here. Minor is coming off a rock solid start where he gave up only two runs and struck out nine, and I think he’ll have a smooth outing here.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Kansas City Royals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates.
St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (+175)
The Cardinals are hot right now, having won four of their past five. The Phillies are just 5-9 in their last 14, and are 3-8 on the road this year. Philly has scored just two runs in three straight games, so we probably don’t need too many from St. Louis here to cover the run line. Vince Velasquez will start for the Phillies here, and he doesn’t inspire too much confidence. In limited work this year he has a 6.75 ERA. It’s been at least 4.85 in every season since 2016, so that’s not too much of an aberration. This will only be 23-year-old Johan Oviedo’s second appearance of the season for the Cards, but he threw 4 and 2/3 scoreless innings his first time out. He only has six career big league appearances, but we already know he has higher upside than Velasquez.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals.
San Francisco Giants -1.5 (+160)
The Giants have been arguably the most pleasant surprise in the whole league this season. They’re 15-9 so far, and are defying even the most optimistic expectations. They won the first game of this series against Colorado 12-0, so I think they’ve got enough offensive upside to back on the run line. They also have a big edge on the mound here with Alex Wood against German Marquez. Marquez had a 3.75 ERA in the abbreviated 2020 season, but it was 4.76 in 2019, his last full campaign. Wood has been phenomenal, only allowing one total run and five hits through his first two starts as a Giant. The Rockies are an eye-popping 1-8 on the road in 2021, and can’t seem to hit away from Coors Field. They look like one of the worst teams all around, so keep fading them here.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Colorado Rockies vs. San Francisco Giants.
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