Parlays

Paul Skenes was lights out against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night, tossing 8 scoreless innings. Pittsburgh was able to complete the shutout with a scoreless 9th from Gregory Soto, and I expect another strong performance from Pittsburgh’s pitching staff Thursday. Mitch Keller is the scheduled starter for the Pirates as the veteran right-hander is set for his 8th start of the season. Keller has been sharp, posting a 2.85 ERA across his first 41 innings of work while allowing just 1 home run. His 93rd percentile barrel rate is a key reason why, and despite 2 starts with 4 walks issued Keller still ranks 69th percentile in walk rate. Arizona is also 27th in wOBA with an 88 wRC+ against right-handed pitching. 

Pittsburgh has been better than Arizona against right-handed pitching, ranking 8th in wOBA with a 107 wRC+. Their everyday lineup currently has 7 batters with an above average wRC+, and they face the starter in worse form. Zac Gallen has traditionally been better in his home park, but he has struggled so far in 2026. His 4.45 ERA in 32.1 innings of work is shadowed by a 5.21 xERA thanks to a 16th percentile hard-hit rate and poor strikeout metrics. I favor Pittsburgh to grab another win in this game.

Pirates vs Diamondbacks prediction: Pirates ML (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -120 odds.

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The Phillies struggled through April, finishing the month just 10-16, but they’ve started to turn things around by winning eight of their last 10 games. Now, they’ll look to complete a series sweep against the Athletics after outscoring them 15-4 through the first two games of the series.  The Phillies will hand the ball over to Andrew Painter, who is 1-3 with a 5.28 ERA and a 1,59 WHIP this season. For the A’s, they’ll hand the ball over to J.T. Ginn, who is 0-1 with a 4.30 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. 

While neither starter has been dominant this season, the Phillies hold the slight edge on the mound and at the plate. Philadelphia’s bullpen has allowed just one earned run in 3.2 innings during this series, while the A’s relief staff has been hit hard, giving up 12 runs in only 6.2 innings pitched. Even if Painter doesn’t pitch deep into the game, the Phillies’ bullpen is more well-rested, and their offense has been doing a significantly better job at the plate than the A’s. The A’s have now dropped six of their last 10 games, and with their pitching staff struggling to navigate through this Phillies lineup without any issues, I like Philadelphia’s odds in this matchup behind Painter as they should be able to complete the sweep at home against a struggling A’s team. 

A’s vs Phillies prediction: Phillies ML (-140) available at time of publishing. Playable to -155.

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I favor the Miami Marlins over the Baltimore Orioles as they match up on Thursday evening. Max Meyer is the scheduled starter for Miami, and he enters play with a 2.68 ERA through his first 37 innings of work. Meyer has a 2.98 FIP to back that mark up, and despite a 3.88 xERA I am a believer in Miami’s right-hander. I am a sucker for quality strikeout profiles, and Meyer’s is strong with a 77th percentile whiff rate and 80th percentile chase rate. Meyer is able to win both in and out of the zone, and now he gets an Orioles lineup with the 4th highest strikeout rate against right-handed pitching this season.

Cade Povich matches up against a Marlins lineup that struggled against southpaw pitching relative to their performance against right-handers. Still, Povich is an arm with inconsistency, and I am not overly fond of his current form. His last start resulted in 2 home runs and 5 earned runs across 4 innings against the Yankees. He pitched well against a poor Giants offense and survived against the Pirates, who can’t hit lefties, in his other 2 outings. Overall, his 4.41 ERA has a 4.94 xERA and his batted ball profile is shaky. While not my favorite game on the board, I do side with Miami.

Marlins vs Orioles prediction: Marlins ML (-118) available at time of publishing. Playable to -125 odds.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons will play Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series in the NBA playoffs on Thursday night in Detroit. Game 1 went to the Pistons 111-101 on Tuesday, so they are now hoping to take a commanding lead in this best-of-7 set. With a ton of momentum from their first-round comeback against Orlando, they should be able to do it. My Cavaliers vs Pistons prediction is for the home team to win and cover. Detroit tipped off its playoff run in lackluster form, falling into a 3-1 series hole against Orlando. However, Cade Cunningham and company have heated up at just the right time. They had little trouble (aside from the start of Game 6) destroying the Magic over the last 3 games, and mostly dominated the Cavs on Tuesday. The final margin may have been just 10 points, but let’s not forget that Detroit led 37-21 after 1 quarter and it only got close for a very brief stretch during the 3rd quarter.

The Cavaliers did not play well at all, lacking aggressiveness (16 free-throws attempted compared to the Pistons’ 35) and turning the ball over left and right (19 TOs to the Pistons’ 11). Cleveland did not play particularly well in round 1, either, but managed to get past Toronto in 7 games. Donovan Mitchell has not scored more than 24 points in 6 straight games. Backup shooting guard Sam Merrill left the series opener with a hamstring injury and is questionable for Thursday. The Utah State product averaged 12.2 ppg during the regular season and logged more than 20 minutes per game in the first round. Especially if Jalen Duren heats back up for Detroit, the visitors could once again be in trouble.

Cavaliers vs Pistons Game 2 prediction: Detroit -3 (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable to -4.

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The Los Angeles Lakers head into Game 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder after a 108-90 loss in Game 1, where Oklahoma City controlled the game through defense, depth, and balanced scoring. Chet Holmgren led the way with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a relatively quiet night by his standards but still contributed efficiently. The Thunder forced 17 turnovers and knocked down perimeter shots consistently, creating separation without needing a dominant individual performance. On the other side, LeBron James scored 27 points to keep Los Angeles competitive early, but the offense stalled as the game progressed. Austin Reaves struggled significantly, shooting just 3-for-16, and the Lakers failed to generate consistent scoring, finishing with only 90 points.

Despite the lopsided result, Game 2 presents a different outlook, especially from a betting perspective. The spread remains high at 15.5, which is a difficult number to cover in consecutive playoff games, even for a team as strong as Oklahoma City. While the Thunder have now won five straight meetings, expecting another blowout requires near perfect execution again. The Lakers are likely to improve offensively through natural regression, particularly from players like Reaves, and should benefit from adjustments after seeing Oklahoma City’s defensive schemes firsthand. With playoff urgency increasing and veteran leadership guiding their response, Los Angeles is in a solid position to be more competitive. Even if the Thunder maintain control of the series, the margin should tighten, making this a more balanced contest throughout.

Lakers vs Thunder Game 2 prediction: Lakers +15.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to +14.5.

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