MLB Parlay Picks of the Day
Chicago White Sox vs. Chicago Cubs
Friday, August 6, 2021 at 2:20 p.m. ET at Wrigley Field
Lance Lynn
White Sox starter Lance Lynn is in a difficult spot today because he is pitching in what is easily one his least favorite venues.
Lynn has made 10 career starts in Chicago's Wrigley Field. His career ERA in this venue is 5.86.
While one may counter that Lynn has been pitching well lately, he has benefitted from pitching in ballparks like Minnesota's where he has a superb or at least much stronger historical track record.
Lynn vs. Cub Batters
Active Cub hitters haven't seen too much of Lynn. But their numbers against him are very promising.
They've accumulated 46 at-bats against him, producing a collective .326 BA and .543 slugging rate in the process.
While known more for his defense, Jason Heyward can still hit against Lynn. Heyward is 7-for-19 (.368) with two doubles with Lynn on the mound.
Kyle Hendricks
Cub starter Kyle Hendricks is continuing to enjoy a prolonged stretch of positive form. He has allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his last 10 starts.
His positive stretch has helped make him the Chicago Cubs' most profitable pitcher to back.
Hendricks vs. White Sox Batters
While I like Hendricks on his own merit today, I am more interested in going against the White Sox lineup.
Throughout the season, the White Sox have been a bad bet during the day.
While they've been winning day games lately, those games tend to be low-scoring.
Their daytime hitting numbers this season remain substantially worse than their nighttime ones.
Because I don't like Lynn and I don't like White Sox hitting today, I don't like the White Sox to win.
Therefore, look for the Cubs to pull off a nice upset.
New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Friday, August 6, 2021 at 7 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia
Marcus Stroman
Met starter Marcus Stroman finally suffered his first not-so-great start in a long time.
Before this one exception, he had yielded two runs or fewer in eight of his last 10 starts.
It's not like he offered any reason to worry about him, though. He simply ran out of energy in the sixth inning.
While it's true that he has been worse deeper into outings when he's seeing the same lineup a third time, we can overlook this potential tendency by sticking to a first-half bet.
Stroman vs. Philly Batters
Stroman is a great guy to back today in Philadelphia.
In three career starts at Citizens Bank, he enjoys a 1.47 ERA.
Fittingly, his numbers against active Philly batters are remarkably excellent.
In 152 career at-bats against Stroman, they are hitting .237 and slugging .329.
Rhys Hoskins, for example, is 1-for-11 (.091) lifetime against Stroman.
Kyle Gibson vs. Met Batters
Kyle Gibson continues to bounce around from team to team. The Phillies badly needed stock for their rotation, so they acquired Gibson, who makes his second start for his new club tonight.
Gibson already has much experience against active Met batters and this success is unequivocally negative.
In 65 career at-bats against Gibson, Met hitters are batting .354 and slugging .569.
Jonathan Villar, Kevin Pillar, and Michael Conforto all slug well over .600 against Gibson in at least five at-bats.
Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Indians
Friday, August 6, 2021 at 7:10 p.m. ET at Progressive Field in Cleveland
Matt Manning
I like Tiger starter Matt Manning...in a few years. He is a really promising pitcher.
But for now, he is suffering some of the pains of youth. He doesn't easily get batters to swing at his stuff outside the strike zone.
His stuff isn't good enough, though, to miss bats inside the strike zone. In fact, he yields a 36.5-percent hard hit rate.
One problem with his fastball, which is his favorite pitch, is that he puts very little spin on it.
Manning vs. Indian Batters
When they saw Manning just over a month ago, the Indians generated nine runs against him in his 3.2 innings of work.
I expect a repeat performance because they typically thrive against the fastball, which Manning throws about half the time.
At home, Indian batters slug .500 against this pitch from righties.
Cal Quantrill vs. Tiger Batters
Indian starter Cal Quantrill is more developed and has a more balanced arsenal than his counterpart.
His two primary pitches are the sinker and slider. The Tigers slug only .390 against these two pitches from righties.
Moreover, unlike Manning, Quantrill enjoys superb form. Quantrill has allowed one earned run or fewer in each of his last four starts.
The Verdict
Look for the underdog Cubs to race past the White Sox, the Mets to outpitch the Phillies, and the Indians to show why they're the deserved favorites.
For the above reasons, parlay the Cubs full-game ML, the Mets first-half money-line, and the Indians first-half money-line.
Best Bet: Parlay Cubs Full-Game ML at +141, Mets First-Half ML at -125, and Indians first-half ML at -145 at +633 odds with Bovada
Chicago White Sox vs. Chicago Cubs
Friday, August 6, 2021 at 2:20 p.m. ET at Wrigley Field
Lance Lynn
White Sox starter Lance Lynn is in a difficult spot today because he is pitching in what is easily one his least favorite venues.
Lynn has made 10 career starts in Chicago's Wrigley Field. His career ERA in this venue is 5.86.
While one may counter that Lynn has been pitching well lately, he has benefitted from pitching in ballparks like Minnesota's where he has a superb or at least much stronger historical track record.
Lynn vs. Cub Batters
Active Cub hitters haven't seen too much of Lynn. But their numbers against him are very promising.
They've accumulated 46 at-bats against him, producing a collective .326 BA and .543 slugging rate in the process.
While known more for his defense, Jason Heyward can still hit against Lynn. Heyward is 7-for-19 (.368) with two doubles with Lynn on the mound.
Kyle Hendricks
Cub starter Kyle Hendricks is continuing to enjoy a prolonged stretch of positive form. He has allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his last 10 starts.
His positive stretch has helped make him the Chicago Cubs' most profitable pitcher to back.
Hendricks vs. White Sox Batters
While I like Hendricks on his own merit today, I am more interested in going against the White Sox lineup.
Throughout the season, the White Sox have been a bad bet during the day.
While they've been winning day games lately, those games tend to be low-scoring.
Their daytime hitting numbers this season remain substantially worse than their nighttime ones.
Because I don't like Lynn and I don't like White Sox hitting today, I don't like the White Sox to win.
Therefore, look for the Cubs to pull off a nice upset.
New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Friday, August 6, 2021 at 7 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia
Marcus Stroman
Met starter Marcus Stroman finally suffered his first not-so-great start in a long time.
Before this one exception, he had yielded two runs or fewer in eight of his last 10 starts.
It's not like he offered any reason to worry about him, though. He simply ran out of energy in the sixth inning.
While it's true that he has been worse deeper into outings when he's seeing the same lineup a third time, we can overlook this potential tendency by sticking to a first-half bet.
Stroman vs. Philly Batters
Stroman is a great guy to back today in Philadelphia.
In three career starts at Citizens Bank, he enjoys a 1.47 ERA.
Fittingly, his numbers against active Philly batters are remarkably excellent.
In 152 career at-bats against Stroman, they are hitting .237 and slugging .329.
Rhys Hoskins, for example, is 1-for-11 (.091) lifetime against Stroman.
Kyle Gibson vs. Met Batters
Kyle Gibson continues to bounce around from team to team. The Phillies badly needed stock for their rotation, so they acquired Gibson, who makes his second start for his new club tonight.
Gibson already has much experience against active Met batters and this success is unequivocally negative.
In 65 career at-bats against Gibson, Met hitters are batting .354 and slugging .569.
Jonathan Villar, Kevin Pillar, and Michael Conforto all slug well over .600 against Gibson in at least five at-bats.
Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Indians
Friday, August 6, 2021 at 7:10 p.m. ET at Progressive Field in Cleveland
Matt Manning
I like Tiger starter Matt Manning...in a few years. He is a really promising pitcher.
But for now, he is suffering some of the pains of youth. He doesn't easily get batters to swing at his stuff outside the strike zone.
His stuff isn't good enough, though, to miss bats inside the strike zone. In fact, he yields a 36.5-percent hard hit rate.
One problem with his fastball, which is his favorite pitch, is that he puts very little spin on it.
Manning vs. Indian Batters
When they saw Manning just over a month ago, the Indians generated nine runs against him in his 3.2 innings of work.
I expect a repeat performance because they typically thrive against the fastball, which Manning throws about half the time.
At home, Indian batters slug .500 against this pitch from righties.
Cal Quantrill vs. Tiger Batters
Indian starter Cal Quantrill is more developed and has a more balanced arsenal than his counterpart.
His two primary pitches are the sinker and slider. The Tigers slug only .390 against these two pitches from righties.
Moreover, unlike Manning, Quantrill enjoys superb form. Quantrill has allowed one earned run or fewer in each of his last four starts.
The Verdict
Look for the underdog Cubs to race past the White Sox, the Mets to outpitch the Phillies, and the Indians to show why they're the deserved favorites.
For the above reasons, parlay the Cubs full-game ML, the Mets first-half money-line, and the Indians first-half money-line.
Best Bet: Parlay Cubs Full-Game ML at +141, Mets First-Half ML at -125, and Indians first-half ML at -145 at +633 odds with Bovada
