MLB Parlay for Today at (+247) Features Superb Starting Pitchers
San Diego Padres vs. Kansas City Royals
Friday, August 26, 2022 at 8:10 p.m. ET at Kauffman Stadium
Who Starts for San Diego?
Joe Musgrove starts for the Padres.
Musgrove is perhaps a less exciting iteration of himself this year, but he's enjoying the best season of his career.
Relative to his previous seasons, while he's accruing fewer strikeouts, he's doing a better job of avoiding walks and home runs.
It's not like his ability to avoid giving up the long ball is reducible to some fact about his home venue.
When he pitched in high-altitude Colorado, for example, he allowed zero home runs in five innings.
While he's given up a home run, at most, in his most recent starts, those have been solo shots.
When no runners are on base, a pitcher may reasonably be more aggressive because the consequences of giving up a home run obviously aren't as dire.
Musgrove's Form
Musgrove's form remains strong.
He has allowed a combined seven runs in his past four starts, not including one bad performance against a Rockie team facing him for the third time.
His most recent success has contributed to the fact that the "under" has hit in both of his last starts.
Musgrove's Fastball and Slider
In view of his pitch quality, Musgrove enjoys a significant advantage that allows him to get away with locating his pitches around the more middle, typically dangerous parts of the strike zone.
Particularly, his fastball ranks in the 98th percentile in spin rate, which means that batters must have a tough time tracking its location.
While he distributes this pitch well among the different parts of the strike zone, showing his strong command, he gladly elevates it.
By elevating his spin-heavy fastball, he gives it the appearance of rising action, inducing batters to swing underneath it.
Moreover, he plays his elevated fastball well with his other most-favorite pitch, his slider, which he tends to locate low in the strike zone, thus changing the batter's eye level.
Musgrove also plays both the slider and fastball well off each other in that he creates a strong change of pace for the batter.
The fact that his fastball averages 9.9 more mph than his slider keeps hitters off-balance when Musgrove plays either pitch off the other.
Musgrove vs. Royal Batters
Musgrove is also comfortable throwing a curveball and cutter.
With his curveball, slider, and fastball, Musgrove has three pitches that batters are slugging under .370 against.
Even his cutter will perform well today, though, against Royal batters.
They rank 24th in slugging against Musgrove's pitches from righties.
He regularly dominates these teams that rank 23rd or worse in slugging against his pitches from righties.
This claim is evident in his dominating performances against Miami, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh.
Who Starts for Kansas City?
Kris Bubic starts for the Royals today.
Bubic supplies great reasons for why bettors should exercise caution, especially at this point of the season, when they confront a pitcher's ERA.
HIs high ERA is still inflated by his awful performances early in the season.
These simply don't matter. His form in April has zero influence on his form in August.
Right now, his form is strong. He boasts a 2.60 August FIP (like ERA but factors out fielding).
Bubic vs. Padre Batters
Tonight, Bubic's outlook is favorable because he matches up well against Padre batters and because their form is awful.
San Diego ranks below average in slugging against Bubic's pitches from lefties.
Plus, Padre batters are already struggling to hit anything.
They've failed to exceed two runs in any of their last four games.
In their last six games, they've scored a combined total of nine runs.
Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Friday, August 26, 2022 at 8:15 p.m. ET at Busch Stadium in St. Louis
Who Starts for Atlanta?
Atlanta starts Spencer Strider.
Strider is being superbly well-tested as he flexes his excellent form.
He has yielded a sub-2.20 FIP in three of his last four starts.
In the one exception, he yielded a 3.29 FIP.
Recent opponents are repeatedly struggling to score runs off him even though those opponents include the Mets (twice), Phillies, (twice), and Astros.
Those three teams rank top-eight in runs per game, and the Mets and Phillies had the advantage of being more familiar with Strider, who plays for a team in their division.
Strider vs. Cardinal Batters
St. Louis is developing a pattern of alternating between strong and weak hitting performances.
This mini-trend aside, the Cardinals suffer for failing to rank top-10 against Strider's pitches from righties.
Not only is Strider owning good teams right now, he is also thriving against those that, like the Astros, Mets, and Phillies, match up well against him given the pitches that he throws.
What is Jose Quintana's Outlook Today?
Cardinal starter Jose Quintana's story is very similar to Strider's.
Despite facing teams, such as Colorado and Philadelphia, that normally thrive against left-handed pitching, he hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in a start since July 15.
Plus, the Brave batters with good career-long numbers against him -- Adam Duvall, Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna, Hernan Perez -- are either injured, or professionally non-existent in some form.
Best Bet: Parlay Padres/Royals First-Half Under 4.5 at -129 & Braves/Cardinals First-Half Under 4 at -105 at +247 odds with Bookmaker
San Diego Padres vs. Kansas City Royals
Friday, August 26, 2022 at 8:10 p.m. ET at Kauffman Stadium
Who Starts for San Diego?
Joe Musgrove starts for the Padres.
Musgrove is perhaps a less exciting iteration of himself this year, but he's enjoying the best season of his career.
Relative to his previous seasons, while he's accruing fewer strikeouts, he's doing a better job of avoiding walks and home runs.
It's not like his ability to avoid giving up the long ball is reducible to some fact about his home venue.
When he pitched in high-altitude Colorado, for example, he allowed zero home runs in five innings.
While he's given up a home run, at most, in his most recent starts, those have been solo shots.
When no runners are on base, a pitcher may reasonably be more aggressive because the consequences of giving up a home run obviously aren't as dire.
Musgrove's Form
Musgrove's form remains strong.
He has allowed a combined seven runs in his past four starts, not including one bad performance against a Rockie team facing him for the third time.
His most recent success has contributed to the fact that the "under" has hit in both of his last starts.
Musgrove's Fastball and Slider
In view of his pitch quality, Musgrove enjoys a significant advantage that allows him to get away with locating his pitches around the more middle, typically dangerous parts of the strike zone.
Particularly, his fastball ranks in the 98th percentile in spin rate, which means that batters must have a tough time tracking its location.
While he distributes this pitch well among the different parts of the strike zone, showing his strong command, he gladly elevates it.
By elevating his spin-heavy fastball, he gives it the appearance of rising action, inducing batters to swing underneath it.
Moreover, he plays his elevated fastball well with his other most-favorite pitch, his slider, which he tends to locate low in the strike zone, thus changing the batter's eye level.
Musgrove also plays both the slider and fastball well off each other in that he creates a strong change of pace for the batter.
The fact that his fastball averages 9.9 more mph than his slider keeps hitters off-balance when Musgrove plays either pitch off the other.
Musgrove vs. Royal Batters
Musgrove is also comfortable throwing a curveball and cutter.
With his curveball, slider, and fastball, Musgrove has three pitches that batters are slugging under .370 against.
Even his cutter will perform well today, though, against Royal batters.
They rank 24th in slugging against Musgrove's pitches from righties.
He regularly dominates these teams that rank 23rd or worse in slugging against his pitches from righties.
This claim is evident in his dominating performances against Miami, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh.
Who Starts for Kansas City?
Kris Bubic starts for the Royals today.
Bubic supplies great reasons for why bettors should exercise caution, especially at this point of the season, when they confront a pitcher's ERA.
HIs high ERA is still inflated by his awful performances early in the season.
These simply don't matter. His form in April has zero influence on his form in August.
Right now, his form is strong. He boasts a 2.60 August FIP (like ERA but factors out fielding).
Bubic vs. Padre Batters
Tonight, Bubic's outlook is favorable because he matches up well against Padre batters and because their form is awful.
San Diego ranks below average in slugging against Bubic's pitches from lefties.
Plus, Padre batters are already struggling to hit anything.
They've failed to exceed two runs in any of their last four games.
In their last six games, they've scored a combined total of nine runs.
Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Friday, August 26, 2022 at 8:15 p.m. ET at Busch Stadium in St. Louis
Who Starts for Atlanta?
Atlanta starts Spencer Strider.
Strider is being superbly well-tested as he flexes his excellent form.
He has yielded a sub-2.20 FIP in three of his last four starts.
In the one exception, he yielded a 3.29 FIP.
Recent opponents are repeatedly struggling to score runs off him even though those opponents include the Mets (twice), Phillies, (twice), and Astros.
Those three teams rank top-eight in runs per game, and the Mets and Phillies had the advantage of being more familiar with Strider, who plays for a team in their division.
Strider vs. Cardinal Batters
St. Louis is developing a pattern of alternating between strong and weak hitting performances.
This mini-trend aside, the Cardinals suffer for failing to rank top-10 against Strider's pitches from righties.
Not only is Strider owning good teams right now, he is also thriving against those that, like the Astros, Mets, and Phillies, match up well against him given the pitches that he throws.
What is Jose Quintana's Outlook Today?
Cardinal starter Jose Quintana's story is very similar to Strider's.
Despite facing teams, such as Colorado and Philadelphia, that normally thrive against left-handed pitching, he hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in a start since July 15.
Plus, the Brave batters with good career-long numbers against him -- Adam Duvall, Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna, Hernan Perez -- are either injured, or professionally non-existent in some form.
Best Bet: Parlay Padres/Royals First-Half Under 4.5 at -129 & Braves/Cardinals First-Half Under 4 at -105 at +247 odds with Bookmaker
