Parlays

As Rivalry Weekend continues, the Miami Marlins face the Tampa Bay Rays. You just can’t get hotter than the Rays are right now. They have won 11 of their last 13, they have opened up a 2 game lead in the AL East, and they trail only the Braves for the best record in baseball. This Tampa team was not supposed to be anything special this season, but they just keep winning. They do everything you want a team to do. They hit the ball, they take extra bases, they play defense, they pitch well, and they are even winning with tactics like bunting and pressuring the opponent. At this point, it is folly to bet against them. I will take the Rays to win again on Saturday after their 7-2 win on Friday night.

Yes, Sandy Alcantara is on the hill for the Fish. Alcantara has been good, although not untouchable. He has turned in quality starts in 3 of his last 4 outings. He faces Nick Martinez, a veteran journeyman who is pitching out of his mind right now. He has yet to allow more than 2 runs in any of his 8 starts, and of course the pitching whisperers in Tampa have found a way to turn a mediocre journeyman into a star. Alcantara helps keep the price manageable on this game, but I am not getting cute and betting against the Rays right now. Not until they come back to Earth.

Marlins vs Rays Prediction: Rays ML (-140) available at the time of publishing. Playable to -160.

I favored the Houston Astros over the Texas Rangers in their matchup Friday night, but I am switching alliances for Saturday’s game between these teams. Houston was able to win 2-0 on Friday behind strong pitching, but I am less fond of their pitching situation on Saturday. Kai-Wei Teng is the scheduled starter for Houston following his last outing where he tossed a season high 3 innings of work. He did allow 6 baserunners and 3 earned runs in that outing against the Reds, and now he faces Texas. The Rangers have a 102 wRC+ against right-handed pitching and draw the softer starter today. Houston’s bullpen is also very weak behind Teng.

Jacob deGrom is the scheduled starter for Texas on Saturday. The veteran right-hander has been terrific in 2026, tossing a 2.62 ERA through his first 44.2 innings of work. deGrom has 57 strikeouts to only 8 walks so far, ranking 95th percentile in both strikeout and walk rate. He struggled against the Yankees to open up May, but he bounced back well his last outing with 7 shutout frames against the Cubs.

Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros Prediction: Rangers ML (-140) available at time of publishing. Playable to -150 odds.

The Milwaukee Brewers have been red-hot recently, owning a 7-3 record over their last 10 games to stay within striking distance of the Chicago Cubs for first in the National League Central. It hasn’t been quite as good for the Minnesota Twins recently, going 5-5 over their last 10 and sitting five games below .500, but the mediocrity of the American League Central still has them within 3.5 games of first. Milwaukee took the first game on Friday night and is looking to clinch its third series in a row with a win on Saturday.

The Brewers send Logan Henderson to the mound to achieve that goal, who has two straight great starts since returning from the minors. He went six innings against the Washington Nationals with three hits and two earned runs allowed, and then followed it up with five innings against the New York Yankees with four hits and two earned runs. One of the Brewers’ top pitching prospects is earning the opportunity to stick around.

Connor Prielipp has also been a consistent presence for the Twins, never allowing more than four hits or two earned runs in each of his four starts since coming up from the minors. He hasn’t gone longer than five innings in either of his outings, which could be a bit concerning considering the Twins have the second-worst bullpen ERA in the majors.

Henderson and Prielipp will keep this game close early, but a top-10 bullpen going against one of the league’s worst will allow the Brewers to persevere in the end.

Brewers vs Twins prediction: Brewers ML (-125) available at time of publishing. Playable to that number.