MLB Parlay Picks of the Day
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Oakland Athletics
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at 3:37 p.m. ET at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland
Sean Manaea’s Form
Oakland starter Sean Manaea seems to be in good form.
But he’s benefitted from facing lineups that he matches up well against as a lefty.
Each of his last three starts came against a team that ranks in the bottom half in slugging against left-handed pitchers.
Manaea vs. Arizona Batters
Unlike Manaea’s most recent opponents, Arizona is well-built to handle left-handed pitching.
For example, its leader in home runs, Eduardo Escobar, bats from both sides of the plate. But he is stronger against southpaws, slugging .618 against them versus slugging .419 against right-handed pitching.
Escobar also has great numbers against Manaea, managing a hit off of him in three out of four at-bats. He also has one homer against him.
Escobar is one reason why Arizona ranks third in slugging against lefties.
Just like Escobar’s achievements against lefties in general are consistent with his historic success against Manaea, Arizona hitters’ accomplishments against lefties are consistent with their historic success against Manaea.
Like Escobar, Josh Reddick, Ketel Marte, Nick Ahmed, and Asdrubal Cabrera all slug .500 or higher in their respective careers against Manaea.
Matt Peacock
Arizona starter Matt Peacock promises to bounce back after an uncharacteristic performance in his last start.
In every start but his last, he had walked one batter or fewer.
As someone who primarily throws a sinker, he matches up well with an Athletic lineup that ranks 25th in slugging against the sinker from righties.
Daytime
While Oakland has been a profitable team overall, daytime is the one situation in which the Athletics are not profitable.
In day games, the A’s are yielding -2.7 units. For comparison’s sake, they are yielding +9.2 units in night games.
Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at 4:10 p.m. ET at Petco Park in San Diego.
Jake Arrieta’s Struggles
Cub starter Jake Arrieta has been struggling massively.
In his past two games, he has failed to make it through the fourth inning.
He allowed, in those two games combined, eight earned runs in 5.2 innings. He also surrendered three home runs to go along with six walks.
More broadly, Arrieta has yielded an FIP (like ERA, but factors out fielding) over 6.00 in five of his last six starts.
Arrieta relies primarily on his sinker, which he throws 56.2 percent of the time. He also throws a slider with 21.1 percent frequency.
This season, opponents are slugging .482 against his sinker and .755 against his slider. They have hit a combined total of 10 home runs against those two pitches.
Overall, his velocity is down and opponents are making sweeter contact with his pitches.
Padre Batters vs. Arrieta
San Diego’s track record against the sinker, Arrieta’s favorite pitch, has been a work in progress.
But the Padres have done especially well at home against this pitch. Since May, they are hitting .361 and slugging .541 at home against the sinker from righties.
Look out especially for Wil Myers and Tommy Pham. In at least nine career at-bats against Arrieta, each is slugging over .700 and boasts an OPS (on-base plus slugging) over 1.100.
Yu Darvish’s Strong Form
In contrast to Arrieta, Padre starter Yu Darvish is thriving even against strong competition like the Dodgers.
He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 10 of his 12 starts.
One exception was opening day against Arizona. The other exception came on the road in Houston and its small ballpark.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Chicago White Sox
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at 8:10 p.m. ET at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago
Alek Manoah
Blue Jay starter Alek Manoah has a horrible ERA because he is a rookie and has only started two professional games.
He showed what he can do when he shut down the Yankees over the course of six innings.
His struggles have come almost exclusively against left-handed hitting.
In contrast to left-handed batters, righties are hitting .130 and slugging .261 in 25 tries against Manoah.
Manoah vs. White Sox Batters
Manoah’s success against righties is important to know because the White Sox lineup is very righty-heavy.
The team’s top sluggers like Jose Abreu and Yermin Mercedes are nearly without exception right-handed.
One bigger-named exception is Yoan Moncada, who will bat from the left-side of the plate tonight.
But Moncada does not enjoy strong form. His slugging rate has plummeted from .471 to .444 this month because he has one extra-base hit in seven games in June.
Lance Lynn
White Sox starter Lance Lynn obviously has a solid ERA so far.
But he’s benefitted from facing teams in his division and other teams that, nearly without exception, likewise rank far outside the top 10 in runs per game.
Lynn vs. Blue Jay Batters
Toronto, however, presents his toughest test. The Blue Jays rank ninth in runs per game.
Lynn primarily throws a fastball, cutter, and a sinker. Those three pitches make up 92.6 percent of his arsenal.
The Blue Jays rank seventh in slugging against those three pitches from righties combined.
Look out especially for Marcus Semien, who has seen Lynn the most and has done so with success.
In 19 career at-bats against Lynn, Semien enjoys a .421 BA and .737 slugging rate.
So be sure to add the Toronto first-half ML to your parlay along with the Diamondbacks first-half ML and Padres first-half money-line.
Bovada has already released first-half money-line odds.
Best Bet: Parlay Diamondbacks First-Half ML, Padres First-Half ML, Blue Jays First-Half ML
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Oakland Athletics
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at 3:37 p.m. ET at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland
Sean Manaea’s Form
Oakland starter Sean Manaea seems to be in good form.
But he’s benefitted from facing lineups that he matches up well against as a lefty.
Each of his last three starts came against a team that ranks in the bottom half in slugging against left-handed pitchers.
Manaea vs. Arizona Batters
Unlike Manaea’s most recent opponents, Arizona is well-built to handle left-handed pitching.
For example, its leader in home runs, Eduardo Escobar, bats from both sides of the plate. But he is stronger against southpaws, slugging .618 against them versus slugging .419 against right-handed pitching.
Escobar also has great numbers against Manaea, managing a hit off of him in three out of four at-bats. He also has one homer against him.
Escobar is one reason why Arizona ranks third in slugging against lefties.
Just like Escobar’s achievements against lefties in general are consistent with his historic success against Manaea, Arizona hitters’ accomplishments against lefties are consistent with their historic success against Manaea.
Like Escobar, Josh Reddick, Ketel Marte, Nick Ahmed, and Asdrubal Cabrera all slug .500 or higher in their respective careers against Manaea.
Matt Peacock
Arizona starter Matt Peacock promises to bounce back after an uncharacteristic performance in his last start.
In every start but his last, he had walked one batter or fewer.
As someone who primarily throws a sinker, he matches up well with an Athletic lineup that ranks 25th in slugging against the sinker from righties.
Daytime
While Oakland has been a profitable team overall, daytime is the one situation in which the Athletics are not profitable.
In day games, the A’s are yielding -2.7 units. For comparison’s sake, they are yielding +9.2 units in night games.
Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at 4:10 p.m. ET at Petco Park in San Diego.
Jake Arrieta’s Struggles
Cub starter Jake Arrieta has been struggling massively.
In his past two games, he has failed to make it through the fourth inning.
He allowed, in those two games combined, eight earned runs in 5.2 innings. He also surrendered three home runs to go along with six walks.
More broadly, Arrieta has yielded an FIP (like ERA, but factors out fielding) over 6.00 in five of his last six starts.
Arrieta relies primarily on his sinker, which he throws 56.2 percent of the time. He also throws a slider with 21.1 percent frequency.
This season, opponents are slugging .482 against his sinker and .755 against his slider. They have hit a combined total of 10 home runs against those two pitches.
Overall, his velocity is down and opponents are making sweeter contact with his pitches.
Padre Batters vs. Arrieta
San Diego’s track record against the sinker, Arrieta’s favorite pitch, has been a work in progress.
But the Padres have done especially well at home against this pitch. Since May, they are hitting .361 and slugging .541 at home against the sinker from righties.
Look out especially for Wil Myers and Tommy Pham. In at least nine career at-bats against Arrieta, each is slugging over .700 and boasts an OPS (on-base plus slugging) over 1.100.
Yu Darvish’s Strong Form
In contrast to Arrieta, Padre starter Yu Darvish is thriving even against strong competition like the Dodgers.
He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 10 of his 12 starts.
One exception was opening day against Arizona. The other exception came on the road in Houston and its small ballpark.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Chicago White Sox
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at 8:10 p.m. ET at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago
Alek Manoah
Blue Jay starter Alek Manoah has a horrible ERA because he is a rookie and has only started two professional games.
He showed what he can do when he shut down the Yankees over the course of six innings.
His struggles have come almost exclusively against left-handed hitting.
In contrast to left-handed batters, righties are hitting .130 and slugging .261 in 25 tries against Manoah.
Manoah vs. White Sox Batters
Manoah’s success against righties is important to know because the White Sox lineup is very righty-heavy.
The team’s top sluggers like Jose Abreu and Yermin Mercedes are nearly without exception right-handed.
One bigger-named exception is Yoan Moncada, who will bat from the left-side of the plate tonight.
But Moncada does not enjoy strong form. His slugging rate has plummeted from .471 to .444 this month because he has one extra-base hit in seven games in June.
Lance Lynn
White Sox starter Lance Lynn obviously has a solid ERA so far.
But he’s benefitted from facing teams in his division and other teams that, nearly without exception, likewise rank far outside the top 10 in runs per game.
Lynn vs. Blue Jay Batters
Toronto, however, presents his toughest test. The Blue Jays rank ninth in runs per game.
Lynn primarily throws a fastball, cutter, and a sinker. Those three pitches make up 92.6 percent of his arsenal.
The Blue Jays rank seventh in slugging against those three pitches from righties combined.
Look out especially for Marcus Semien, who has seen Lynn the most and has done so with success.
In 19 career at-bats against Lynn, Semien enjoys a .421 BA and .737 slugging rate.
So be sure to add the Toronto first-half ML to your parlay along with the Diamondbacks first-half ML and Padres first-half money-line.
Bovada has already released first-half money-line odds.
Best Bet: Parlay Diamondbacks First-Half ML, Padres First-Half ML, Blue Jays First-Half ML
