Ricky Dimon
The week in Major League Baseball continues with a full 15-game slate on Friday. It’s an intriguing schedule, headlined by Dodgers vs Braves, Diamondbacks vs Phillies, Mariners vs Rangers and Cubs vs Brewers. There are more than enough betting opportunities, so let’s try to take advantage. Below is my mega parlay, and also be sure to check out all of our MLB picks.
Reds -1.5 (+130)
Royals ML (+114)
Tigers -1.5 (+102)
MLB parlay odds: +894
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Cincinnati Reds -1.5 over Washington Nationals (+130)
It should be home cooking for Hunter Greene and the Reds at Great American Ball Park. Greene allowed 8 earned runs on 5 homers in his 2 most recent outings, but those were in Baltimore and Colorado. The right-hander will likely put on a much different performance on Friday in Cincinnati, where he is sporting a 1.42 ERA and .123 opponents’ batting average through 3 starts. Moreover, Washington is in the midst of a 6-game road trip and it is saddled with a .613 team OPS on the road compared to .773 at home. Mitchell Parker is no slouch for the Nats, but he does not possess swing-and-miss stuff (20 strikeouts is 37.1 innings). Pitching to contact does not always work in a hitter-friendly park, so Greene should get plenty of run support.
Check out our Nationals vs Reds expert prediction for today’s game
Kansas City Royals ML over Baltimore Orioles (+114)
The Orioles (12-18) have been a disaster so far this year and find themselves in the cellar of the American League. Pitching is the big problem (hitting hasn’t been good, either), and Dean Kremer has been one of the biggest culprits. Kremer is 2-4 with a laughable 7.04 ERA to go along with a 1.57 WHIP and only 20 strikeouts through 30.2 innings of work. Baltimore has lost 4 of his last 5 starts by scores of 8-2, 9-0, 7-0 and 7-0.
It’s a rough pitching matchup all around on Friday, as the Royals are going with Michael Wacha. The 33-year-old right-hander (3.38 ERA) fired 6.0 innings of shutout baseball last Saturday against Houston and has allowed only 7 runs in his last 4 outings across 22.1 innings. Will Wacha get run support? Probably. Bobby Witt Jr. is 4-for-11 lifetime against Kremer with a homer; Salvador Perez is 3-for-11 with a homer; both Vinnie Pasquantino and Jonathan India are 2-for-7 with a homer.
Read our full Royals vs Orioles prediction
Detroit Tigers -1.5 over Los Angeles Angels (+102)
Tarik Skubal is taking the mound on Friday night. That’s good news for Detroit and terrible news for Los Angeles. Anything other than a convincing win by the Tigers would be a big surprise. Skubal won the American League Cy Young Award in 2024 and may be on his way to a repeat performance. The righty boasts a 2.34 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with a 40-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 34.2 innings this season. It also shouldn’t be overlooked that Skubal is backed by a bullpen that ranks fourth in Major League Baseball in ERA (2.74). The Angels are countering with Jose Soriano, who is 2-4 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. He started 5 times in April and compiled a 5.67 ERA for the month. The visitors are guaranteed 9 innings’ worth of at-bats, so I’m happy to give the 1.5 runs.
Now find out our expert’s MLB best bets for today — he’s 20-10 so far this season!
