We have a full 15-game slate in Major League Baseball on Friday, with 14 being played at night (the only exception is Cubs-Cardinals). An interleague battle between Boston and Philadelphia is part of the action and is being televised on ESPN+. For this same game parlay, however, we are taking a look at the Los Angeles Angels vs. the Seattle Mariners. Be sure to check out our full game preview for picks on the side and total, as well.
Part of the value in same game parlays, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is the entire plan here, as Marco Gonzales mowing down a handful of hitters and Kyle Seager going deep would obviously go well with a Seattle win. Let’s break down each of the three legs one by one.
Both of these American League West rivals have wildly exceeded expectations in the first half of 2021. Seattle has been especially surprising, having already clinched a winning record at the all-star break no matter how this series plays out. Marco Gonzales has been a fixture in the Seattle rotation since the end of 2017. He is actually having his worst season, but he is capable of pitching much better; last year he walked just seven in 69.2 innings, leading to a 7-2 record. The team around him is much better now, so seeing him get back on track would not be surprising. Shohei Ohtani has been held in check by the M’s so far in ’21. If Gonzales can do the same on Friday, a win for the home team should be in store.
Just playing the percentages, Gonzales usually gets to this number (he has struck out at least five batters in six of 10 appearances this season). The 29-year-old southpaw is averaging slightly less than a strikeout per inning in 2021 (46 Ks in 51.0 innings), so if he can simply log 6.0 innings he should get this prop to hit. Even 5.0 innings would make it a very real possibility. The Angels have three guys with at least 74 strikeouts this year, including Ohtani with 94 and Jared Wash with 96.
Seager is hitting only .216 this season, but he has left the yard 16 times. Three of those homers have come since the last game of June. You also have to like the right-hander’s chances against a left-handed starting pitcher. Last year, for example, Seager batted .268 against righties compared to only .185 against southpaws. Cobb is coming off a month of June in which he compiled a 7.32 ERA and surrendered five earned runs in his lone start against Seattle.
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