Opening Day was a huge success, but it felt like a tease since Friday had just a 5-game slate. My Opening Day mega parlay came one leg short of winning as the Angels, with Shohei Ohtani on the mound, couldn’t beat the Athletics. Go figure.
Anyway , I have looked through today’s MLB slate and have found 3 picks that combine for a +935 payout at DraftKings Sportsbook. Also be sure to check out our MLB predictions for all 15 games, but now let’s get into my mega parlay for Saturday.
Blue Jays -1.5 (+130)
Angels/Athletics alternate under 7 (+125)
Twins -1.5 (+100)
Parlay odds: +935
You can bet on MLB mega parlay at DraftKings Sportsbook, which has thousands of betting options available and a great new customer offer where you can bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if your team wins! Click here to sign up for DraftKings, and MAKE IT RAIN.
Toronto Blue Jays -1.5 (+130) over St. Louis Cardinals
The Opening Day matchup between these teams turned into a softball score. There were 34 hits and 19 runs even though both clubs were supposedly throwing their “ace”. Alek Manoah and Miles Mikolas are actually the 2nd options on each team, with today’s matchup being the true showing of aces. With that said, Jack Flaherty hasn’t shown to be an ace since 2021. The right-hander was limited to 9 appearances, including 8 starts, last season due to nagging shoulder injuries. But even in those short outings it’s easy to see that Flaherty is not the same pitcher anymore. His walk rate shot up from 8.1% to 13.2% from 2021 to 2022 as his control is not what it used to be. That continued in spring training, as the 27-year-old had a 6.41 ERA in 5 starts. His control was slightly better with only 7 walks in 19.2 innings, but 26 hits allowed is concerning.
Countering Flaherty will be Kevin Gausman, who had a great 2022 campaign and followed it up with a perfect 2023 spring training. The veteran threw 13.2 innings and surrendered just 8 hits and 3 walks while striking out 18. It’s also important to note that Gausman’s home and away splits were very different last season, as he posted a 4.57 ERA with a 1.41 WHIP at home and a 2.30 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP on the road. St. Louis’ pitching will once again be its Achilles’ heel, and Toronto should win this game by several runs.
Los Angeles Angels vs Oakland Athletics under 7 (+125)
The Athletics did the improbable and beat Shohei Ohtani and the Angels in Thursday’s game. The final score was 2-1, and Ohtani did all he could to help on the mound, but the Angels failed to give him run support. I sound like a broken record saying that since that was the story of their 2022 season. The Angels were facing Kyle Muller, a guy who had never found success in the Majors and had some of the worst Spring Training starts of any pitcher. But of course, the Los Angeles offense made him look like an ace.
On Saturday they will face Shintaro Fujinami, who will be making his MLB debut. Following a 10-year career in Japan, Fujinami made his way to the MLB and landed with the Athletics. He made 5 starts in spring training and showed a lot of potential, with just 7 hits allowed in 18.2 innings. However, he does struggle with control. His 20 strikeouts were dampened by 17 walks allowed, so I do expect Fujinami to allow 3 or more walks on Saturday. But if the Angels repeat their performance at the plate with runners on base, his walks shouldn’t be a problem. Fujinami will be opposed by Patrick Sandoval, who has become a star and one of the best lefties in the game. Sandoval participated in the World Baseball Classic for Mexico, and he was incredible. He shut down the loaded Japan lineup for 6.0 innings during the semifinal game. Sandoval’s first start of the 2023 season will be on the road in the Oakland Coliseum, and in 4 career starts in Oakland he has a 0.87 ERA. This game should see minimal scoring.
If you want to use a sportsbook that has an easy-to-use app and no hassle, then Bet365 could be the one for you. Click this link to sign up now and secure $200 in bonus bets.
Minnesota Twins -1.5 (+100) over Kansas City Royals
The Royals are Jordan Lyles’ 7th team in the last 7 seasons. In addition to being not a good pitcher, he is also one of my favorite pitchers to fade. In 12 career seasons, Lyles has a 5.10 ERA with a 1.43 WHIP but somehow keeps finding MLB jobs. In 2022 he ranked below average in nearly every pitching category except extension — not the most important stat — and walk rate. While it’s good that he doesn’t allow a lot of free passes, Lyles is one of the most hittable pitchers in baseball. Opponents had a .276 batting average and a .784 OPS against him in 2022. I expect those numbers to only increase this season, as Lyles will be at a massive disadvantage without the shift.
In the last 2 seasons, batters have a 42% and 41.1% pull rate against Lyles — which is nearly 5% higher than the MLB average. That caused the shift to be on for most of the hitters in the lineup in his last few seasons, but the Royals won’t be able to do that for him. Lyles’ counterpart will be Sonny Gray, who was stellar for the Twins last season with a 3.03 ERA in 119.2 innings. Gray made 4 starts against Kansas City in 2022 and the veteran was 3-0 with a 0.47 ERA. The Royals had just 2 hits on Opening Day, as their young lineup showed its age. That should help Minnesota secure another multi-run win.
If you’re looking to get more out of your bets, then Caesars is the sportsbook for you. It’s the only sportsbook with Caesars rewards AND has a great sign-up offer where you can get up to $1,250 back on your first bet! Click here to sign up.
Pickswise is the home of free MLB Picks. Check out the latest MLB Prop Bets and MLB Parlays as well as our MLB Best Bets from the experts.
