Ricky Dimon
Happy 4th of July, Pickswise Nation! The week in Major League Baseball continues on Independence Day with a full 15-game slate today. It includes Reds vs Phillies, Yankees vs Mets and Astros vs Dodgers. There are more than enough betting opportunities with which to work, so let’s try to take advantage. Here are my MLB parlay picks for the 4th of July, while you can also find out our MLB picks for EVERY GAME today.
Cubs -1.5 (+123)
Marlins ML (+100)
Braves -1.5 (+114)
MLB parlay odds: +854
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Chicago Cubs -1.5 over St. Louis Cardinals (+123)
The Cubs have won 3 games in a row, 4 for their last 5 and 6 of their last 8 to take a 4-game lead in the Central Division over the Brewers (5.5 games ahead of the Cardinals). In turn, St. Louis has dropped 3 straight – having just been swept by division-rival Pittsburgh. Those trends will likely continue with Miles Mikolas on the mound for the visitors in this series opener. He is 4-5 with a 4.76 ERA, plus the Cubs have owned him in the past. Nico Hoerner is 13-for-33 lifetime against Mikolas with 3 doubles; Ian Happ is 13-for-40 with 5 doubles; Pete Crow-Armstrong is 3-for-4; Kyle Tucker is 2-for-3. Chicago’s Colin Rea faced St. Louis twice last season and compiled a 2.00 ERA in 2 starts. Give me the Cubbies to win comfortably on Friday.
Read our full Cardinals vs Cubs prediction
Miami Marlins ML over Milwaukee Brewers (+100)
Elsewhere in the Central, Milwaukee has dropped 2 straight and 3 of 4. Meanwhile, the Marlins have won 9 of their last 10 games after bouncing back from a rare loss by beating Minnesota 4-1 in Thursday’s series finale. More good news is that Sandy Alcantara is toeing the rubber against Milwaukee on Friday. Don’t be fooled by the right-hander’s 4-8 record and 6.98 ERA as he makes a comeback after missing the entire 2024 campaign on the heels of elbow surgery. Following a disastrous April and May, Alcantara was back to his former self in June (aside from 1 poor start). In a span of 4 appearances last month, the 29-year-old went 2-1 with a 2.74 ERA and a 19-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 23.0 innings. Behind Alcantara, the Marlins have good value as slight home underdogs.
Find out today’s MLB best bets, with our experts currently on an 8-2 run!
Atlanta Braves -1.5 over Baltimore Orioles (+114)
Baltimore starter Charlie Morton is facing his former team, and I do not expect success. It is true that Morton has calmed down a bit since a disastrous start to his 2025 campaign, but his numbers still aren’t good (4-7, 5.63 ERA, 1.57 WHIP). Atlanta is countering with Spencer Strider, who remains the one healthy, reliable pitcher on this roster. Strider also came out of the gates in rough form following a 2024 elbow injury, but he has heated up. The right-hander has allowed just 6 earned runs in his last 4 appearances across 24.0 innings of work. Although the Braves are surprisingly bad, they are a respectable 24-19 at home. The Orioles’ 37-49 record includes an 18-27 mark on the road.
Read our full Orioles vs Braves prediction
