The week in Major League Baseball continues with a modest 10-game slate on Thursday. It includes 5 afternoon contests, as teams wrap up series before heading out on the road to begin new ones. Among the Thursday highlights are Guardians vs Yankees, Astros vs Orioles, Phillies vs Braves and Mets vs Padres. Let’s dive into my MLB parlay picks for today at +1081 odds with BetMGM, while you can also find out our MLB picks for all the action on Thursday, August 22.
For this MLB parlay, I am going with 2 favorites on the run line and 1 underdog on the money line. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
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There is not a whole lot of good to say about the A’s, but if nothing else Osvaldo Bido is a bright spot. Although the sample size is small, the 28-year-old has emerged on the scene as a late bloomer in 2024. Through 12 appearances (6 starts) for Oakland, Bido is sporting a 3.40 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. The Dominican Republic native has been absolutely dealing so far in August, with 3 consecutive quality starts. In fact, “dominant” starts would be more accurate: 2 earned runs in 6.0 innings against the Dodgers followed by 6.0 innings of shutout baseball against both Toronto and San Francisco. Bido now faces a Tampa Bay team that is third-to-last in Major League Baseball in runs scored this season, leading only the Marlins and White Sox. The A’s have good value as small underdogs on Thursday.
The Orioles have alternated losses and wins over their last 5 outings, which is a relative funk by their lofty standards. Corbin Burnes taking the mound on Thursday should be just what the doctor ordered. After all, Baltimore has won 6 of his last 7 starts – including 5 of those 6 by multiple runs. Burnes is 12-5 with a 3.10 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and a 144-to-38 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 153.2 innings of work. Meanwhile, Gunnar Henderson has 4 home runs and 9 RBIs in the last 8 contests. He should be in line to do plenty of damage at the expense of Houston right-hander Spencer Arrighetti, who is 5-11 with a 5.20 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. Give me the O’s to win and cover in this one.
Read our full Houston Astros vs Baltimore Orioles prediction
The Mets certainly won’t win their division and the Padres probably won’t win theirs, but an upcoming 4-game series between these two teams is a massive one in the National League wild-card race. San Diego is currently tied for the #1 wild-card spot and New York is in fourth place, 5.5 games back of the Padres and 1.5 behind the Braves for the all-important third spot. Look for SD to create some more separation on Thursday, mainly because Dylan Cease is on the mound. In his first season with the Padres, Cease is 12-9 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. He is sporting a 3.17 ERA at home, which is where he will find himself for this showdown. The Mets are countering with Luis Severino, who is solid but unspectacular. I’m happy to wrap up this MLB parlay by backing the Padres to win big.
Read our full New York Mets vs San Diego Padres prediction
