Ricky Dimon
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We have a more-than-full 16-game slate to continue the week in Major League Baseball on Wednesday. It includes the conclusion of Tuesday’s suspended contest between the New York Mets and Washington Nationals. There is also an ESPN showdown between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. However, our four-team mega parlay relies on the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, and Seattle Mariners. Let’s take a look at the whole thing, but be sure to also check out our picks on the side and total for all of today’s matchups.
St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (-110)
Toronto Blue Jays -1.5 (-120)
San Francisco Giants -1.5 (-120)
Seattle Mariners ML (-192)
Parlay odds: +890
For this parlay, we are going with three favorites on the run line and one favorite on the money line. Here is a breakdown of the four legs one by one.
St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 over Pittsburgh Pirates (-110)
The Cardinals are significantly behind the Brewers in the National League Central, but the Pirates look like the worst team in the NL. Pittsburgh is last in the majors in both homers and scoring. Unlike St. Louis, Pittsburgh’s struggles are not underperformance; this club just doesn’t have much in the way of talent at the major-league level right now. The Pirates can get the bat on the ball, but they are too easy to pitch to because it is basically all singles. They had scored more than 4 runs just once in the last 10 games heading into Tuesday’s action. Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright is showing that he still has the stamina for a full season. He has won his last 3 starts and pitched 7.0 innings in each. He has pitched 7.0 innings in 4 straight overall and beat Pittsburgh in his lone start against them this season.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates
Toronto Blue Jays -1.5 over Los Angeles Angels (-120)
Toronto will hand the ball to rookie right-hander Alek Manoah, who is putting together a solid rookie campaign. Manoah is holding opposing hitters to a .180 average, and he is posting a 2.58 ERA through 10 starts spanning 52.1 innings of work. The Blue Jays are 7-3 in his 10 starts. Manoah will have a solid bullpen behind him, as entering Tuesday Toronto’s bullpen ERA of 2.79 was the best in the American League over the last 15 days.
On the other side, L.A.’s Dylan Bundy has not had the same kind of success up to this point. Bundy has not been able to find a groove on the mound, and he was even moved to the bullpen a short time ago. He is now back in a starting role, but his 6.18 ERA is hardly intimidating. Toronto’s offense went into Tuesday leading the league in batting average (.226) and OPS (.787) while ranking third in runs scored (574). The Jays should be able to give Bundy and Los Angeles’ below-average bullpen some problems.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Toronto Blue Jays vs Los Angeles Angels
San Francisco Giants -1.5 over Arizona Diamondbacks (-120)
The Giants prevailed 8-7 on Tuesday to open this brief two-game set. Arizona’s loss was its eighth in the past 10 contests. Tonight, the Giants will look for a mini-sweep as they send Kevin Gausman to the hill. Gausman is having his best season as a professional in 2021, posting a 2.31 ERA, 3.21 xERA, and a 2.91 FIP through 22 turns in the rotation. He faced the hapless Diamondbacks in his most recent outing and turned in a gem, allowing only a single earned run and 5 total baserunners across 6.0 innings. Expect a similar output from Gausman this evening.
Gausman will be opposed by Merrill Kelly, who has been slightly better than league average this season with a 4.13 ERA, 4.08 xERA, and a 3.78 FIP. Still, the sustainability of those numbers is dubious considering that he only possesses an 18.5 strikeout percentage over his last nine trips to the mound. Kelly will face a very dangerous San Francisco lineup.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Arizona Diamondbacks vs San Francisco Giants
Seattle Mariners ML over Texas Rangers (-192)
The Rangers have only won 5 of their 23 games since the all-star break. They have been swept 4 times out of the 7 series that they have played during this stretch. The Mariners, on the other hand, remain within striking distance of a wild-card spot in the American League. Wednesday’s starting pitching matchup will feature newly acquired Spencer Howard for Texas against Tyler Anderson of Seattle. Howard was thought to be a front-of-the-rotation piece for the Philadelphia Phillies, but his career 11.5 percent walk-rate and 1.58 WHIP led to him getting dealt to the Rangers at the trade deadline. He has not lasted longer than 4.0 innings in any appearance this year.
Anderson owns a 4.35 ERA, 4.28 xERA, and a 4.22 FIP across 113.2 innings of work in 2021. He has been even better in his last seven trips to the mound with a 3.38 ERA and a 3.67 FIP. Anderson is the better starting pitcher in this contest and the Mariners’ offense should be able to do some early damage against Howard.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Texas Rangers vs Seattle Mariners
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