Caleb Wilfinger
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We are just over one week into the MLB season, and most of the teams across the league are still finding their footing here in April. A few divisional matchups today highlight a packed slate of baseball that features both day games and nighttime action.
Let’s take a look at our three-team mega parlay for Saturday.
But before we dive in, be sure to check out all of our picks and previews for every game. You can also follow Pickswise on Twitter for plenty of daily betting content.
Cincinnati Reds ML (+190)
San Francisco Giants ML (-104)
Houston Astros vs Seattle Mariners Over 7.5 (+102)
Let’s break down each of the legs.
Cincinnati Reds ML over Los Angeles Dodgers (+190)
After a pedestrian opening series against the Rockies, the Los Angeles Dodgers seemed to find their footing on the mound and at the plate in sweeping a 2-game set against the Minnesota Twins, and following that up with victories in their first 2 home games of the season against the Cincinnati Reds.
However, both games have been close contests and the Reds have gotten a little unfortunate, stranding a number of runners in scoring position in each contest.
Additionally, the pitching edge is not as significant as this line would suggest. Julio Urias takes the mound for the Dodgers after a poor first start in Colorado. The concerning thing from that outing was the dip in velocity on Urias’ go-to pitches, which may have a lingering effect in this appearance. On the other side, Hunter Greene takes the mound for Cincinnati. Greene’s stuff is electric and could have an edge over a Dodgers lineup that doesn’t have much experience against him.
The Reds lineup has struggled but they should be able to put balls in play against Urias and the young left-hander may have a shorter leash than usual as he continues to get up to speed following a shortened spring training. Take a shot with the underdog on the road.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Cincinnati Reds vs Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco Giants ML over Cleveland Guardians (-104)
The San Francisco Giants won’t be undervalued often against mediocre opponents, but that is exactly what we have in this interleague matchup.
The Giants have picked up right where they left off a season ago, winning 5 of their first 7 games to open the year and continuing to pitch at a very high level during that span. Anthony DeSclafani— one of the stalwarts in their rotation a season ago— is back on the hill on Saturday and while he did give up 8 hits in his season debut, the veteran limited the damage to just 2 runs and the Giants picked up a victory.
For the hosts, the Guardians supported starter Cal Quantrill with 17 runs of offense in his first outing of the season at Kauffman Stadium, but that kind of production can’t be expected to continue.
The Giants have been exceptional in interleague play of late, winning five of the past six games against the American League dating back to last season. This is still a team that won over 100 games a season ago and it’s rare to catch them at this price.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for San Francisco Giants vs Cleveland Guardians
Houston Astros vs Seattle Mariners Over 7.5 (+102)
Seattle is not typically a ballpark that plays to the over but Saturday’s game could be a rare exception.
The Houston Astros offense enters the game following a disappointing 1-run performance in a loss to the Mariners on Friday. There is work to be done for the Astros offense, as Houston is in the bottom 10% of the league in expected batting average. But a lineup with the likes of Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman is not one to be held down for long, especially against Chris Flexen, who takes the bump for the hosts on Saturday. Astros hitters are .340 lifetime against Flexen, including tagging him for 19 hits and eight runs in his two starts against Houston last season.
On the opposite side, the Mariners are struggling mightily at producing good contact with runners in scoring position and Seattle’s young bats are still clearly adjusting to major league pitching. But the M’s are fresh off an 11-point outburst on Friday in what could be a sign of things to come. It won’t be easy against Justin Verlander, but the veteran Astros starter only needs to surrender a couple of runs for the game to clear this total.
The over is 10-3 in the last 13 meetings between these teams, and getting a total this low at plus money is worth a look.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Houston Astros vs. Seattle Mariners
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