Ricky Dimon
The week in Major League Baseball continues with a full 15-game slate on Friday. It includes Padres vs Reds, Cardinals vs Guardians, Phillies vs Braves and Cubs vs Astros. 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 ML (+120)
Guardians ML (+110)
Cubs -1.5 (+146)
MLB parlay odds: +1037
Cincinnati Reds ML over San Diego Padres (+120)
The Padres and Dylan Cease are a lot different on the road than they are at home. This club boasts a respectable overall record of 44-36, but it is 3 games under .500 away from Petco Park. Cease has a lot to do with that; the right-hander is 0-4 with a laughable 6.26 ERA on the road compared to 3-2 and 2.76 marks at home. As such, it’s hard to feel good about his chances when he heads to Cincinnati on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Reds have won 3 of their last 4 after taking 2 of 3 in their series against the Yankees earlier this week. Getting to stay at home and benefiting from an off day on Thursday should only help Cincy’s chances. Reds starter Nick Martinez is nothing special, but he also isn’t terrible. He should be able to get enough run support in this one.
Cleveland Guardians ML over St. Louis Cardinals (+110)
Don’t be fooled by Sonny Gray’s solid 3.72 ERA. The Cardinals’ right-hander has been terrible on the road this season, compiling a 5.88 ERA while surrendering an opponent batting average of .284. Gray’s most recent road appearance came on June 12, when he allowed 6 earned runs on 8 hits in just 4.1 innings en route to a 6-0 loss. Cleveland is countering with Luis Ortiz, who has pitched to a 3.00 ERA compared to a 5.18 mark on the road. Ortiz most recently faced the Athletics last Saturday and fired 6.0 innings of 2-hit, shutout baseball with 10 strikeouts. The Cardinals are coming off consecutive shutout losses to the Cubs, so there is no reason to think their offense is going to have much for Ortiz on Friday. As small underdogs, the Guardians have great value.
Chicago Cubs -1.5 over Houston Astros (+146)
The Cubs have plenty of momentum after blanking the division-rival Cardinals twice in a row, winning those games by a combined score of 11-0. Their offense generated 7 runs in the series opener, too, so both the pitching and hitting components are in fine form right now. That should not change when Chicago visits Houston on Thursday. Cade Horton is 3-1 with a 3.71 ERA, and he will be facing an Astros lineup that has crossed the plate a total of 5 times in the past 3 contests. Jose Altuve, Christian Walker, Cam Smith and Victor Caratini are all batting under .200 over the past week. With a guaranteed 9 innings at the plate as the visiting team, I’ll happily back Chicago to cover -1.5 runs at a favorable price.
