When you are as scorching hot as we have been in the last several weeks, sometimes it is hard to take a step back and smell the roses and appreciate the run you have been on. What we have been able to do this month has been truly extraordinary, and it makes me dread the impending end of the MLB regular season, as we have been stacking up cash! Our hot streak continued yesterday, as we again had a monster day, finishing up with a 9-3 overall record and nailing our all total 3-team parlay for a juicy $700 payout.
This team does not quit. #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/HAuY2f0vaw
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 22, 2021
That parlay came in when we found winners on the Twins/Cubs over 8 (-110), Astros/Angels over 9 (-110), and Braves/DBacks under 9.5 (-110). While the parlay hit was certainly the biggest winner on the day, we found plenty of money on our straight bet action as well, with wins on Blue Jays (-105), Mariners (+120), Giants (-105), and Cardinals (+180) as underdogs and outright winners on the Yankees run line (-135) and Indians (-150). We have been crushing the game, and today we will get right back at it, with everyone’s favorite way to play, the parlay! Let’s get started!
Money Line Parlay
Not all parlays are the same. In this first section, we are going to focus on money line parlays. The money line is your most basic way to bet on a baseball game. Because baseball has so few runs scored, we don’t see a point spread on a game like we do with the NFL and the NBA; rather, MLB betting offers a money line bet. With a money line bet, if you want to bet the favorite, you have to lay odds, and if you want to bet the underdog, the book will lay you odds. One example would be the New York Yankees as -200 betting favorites. That means you win $100 for every $200 that you bet on New York if the Yankees win. If you want to take an underdog, an example would be The Seattle Mariners +200. That means for every $100 you bet, you would win $200 if Seattle comes in.
Atlanta Braves (-180) at Arizona Diamondbacks
The Atlanta Braves have been able to hold off the Philadelphia Phillies for 1st place in the NL East Division with 3 straight wins on this current road trip. 2 of those wins have come against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Braves are hoping to make that 3 in a row against Arizona tonight, in game 3 of this 4-game set.
Atlanta will start Ian Anderson tonight, hoping that the 23-year-old can lead them to the victory. Anderson missed 6 weeks’ worth of action earlier this season, and since his return, he has been a bit hot and cold. Now, to be fair to Anderson, in his 4 starts since returning, he has faced the San Francisco Giants twice and had to pitch at Coors Field. Those aren’t exactly great spots for success, and I see Anderson pitching well tonight in the desert in a much softer spot.
RECAP: Riley hits 30th HR as #Braves top Dbacks.#ForTheA: https://t.co/QObKXXGgJk pic.twitter.com/T2CXq4joUV
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 22, 2021
Arizona will try and play spoiler tonight, with Merrill Kelly getting the nod. Kelly hasn’t really pitched all that poorly this season, but his performance hasn’t really mattered much, as the DBacks always seem to lose anyway. When he pitches well, they lose, and when he pitches bad, they lose. The DBacks have lost 13 of his last 20 starts and they haven’t won a game with Kelly on the mound since mid-July.
This is just another late-season mismatch. The Braves need this game badly if they are going to continue holding off the Phillies for the division title, and the game means literally nothing to the DBacks. That’s not to say that Arizona isn’t going to go out and try to win this game at home, but at the end of the day, the Braves are going to do whatever it takes to win this game. I would much rather be backing dogs, but sometimes you just have to pick the low hanging fruit and get paid. Give me the Braves.
Washington Nationals at Miami Marlins (-130)
I don’t normally like to make too many plays where both teams are completely out of contention. But I will break my own rules tonight as I make a play on the Marlins as small home favorites. Why? Josiah Gray just isn’t ready for primetime yet. Gray was the centerpiece of the trade that sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to LA, and while he is a nice prospect, we have seen that he just isn’t ready to be an every 5th day starter in the show at this point of his career.
Gray pitched well in his first several starts with his new team, but as the scouts have gotten time to chart him, the hitters are starting to barrel him up. Gray has allowed at least 5 earned runs in each of his last 4 starts, and the Nationals have gotten beaten up in each of those games. Washington is now just 2-7 in Gray’s 9 starts, and he is an auto-fade at this point.
Fun Fact: Did you know that “Fortes” means “Strong” in Portuguese. pic.twitter.com/xodp9YPMPR
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) September 22, 2021
Elieser Hernandez had a breakout season last year for Miami, and after losing him for over 2 months this season, he has managed to get healthy and has pitched well down the stretch for the Marlins. Hernandez is pitching for a spot in the Marlin’s rotation next season, and his ERA of right around 4 runs in his last 6 starts since returning from injury tells me that he is going to be part of that mix next season for Miami.
The Marlins aren’t a very good baseball team, but they are decent at home, and the Nats are terrible on the road. I won’t make plays like this one very often, but value is value, and the Marlins are the value side of this play.
Kansas City Royals (-115) at Cleveland Indians
The Kansas City Royals are looking for the series win tonight in Cleveland in the series finale of this 4-game set. After sweeping a doubleheader a couple of days ago, the Indians bounced back and took the game last night behind a dominating performance from Cal Quantrill. Today, the teams play, what on the surface, is a meaningless game, but don’t tell these players that, as these guys are still playing hard.
Carlos Hernandez transitioned from the bullpen to the rotation for the Royals, and he has pitched exceedingly well in his new role. Hernandez got roughed up in his last start, but prior to that bad outing, he had held opposing teams to 2 earned runs or fewer in 7 of his previous 8 starts. And despite the fact that wins have been tough to come by for the Royals, KC had won 8 of his previous 9 starts before losing his last time out.
Leapin’ Lopez.#TogetherRoyal pic.twitter.com/0C8uUdaQVf
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) September 21, 2021
Hernandez will be the far superior starter in this matchup, as Cleveland will start Logan Allen. Allen has made getting lit up a regular occurrence this season for the Tribe, particularly at home, where he has a 1-6 record. Allen was thrown into the starting rotation for the first time in his career this year, and after posting an ERA of over 7 runs, it is hard to imagine that Clevland will keep Allen in the rotation again next year.
Late in the year, we are going to see a lot of these matchups between out of contention teams that are starting young guys looking to break into the show as regulars. Some of them turn out like Carlos Hernandez, and some of them don’t, like Logan Allen. It is far too early to say that Hernandez is going to continue pitching at this level and that Allen is going to be this bad forever, but right now, these guys are on different levels. The Royals have been playing quality baseball in the 2nd half, and I like them to win tonight on the road in Cleveland.
Money Line Parlay
Teams Odds
Atlanta Braves -180
Miami Marlins -130
Kansas City Royals -115
$100 Bet Pays $515
Game Total Parlay
The game total bet, commonly known as an over/under bet, is when you bet on how many total runs will be scored in a game. These totals tend to range from 7 or 8 runs on the low end up to 12 to 13 runs on the high end, and you have to pay juice on both sides of the action. A typical totals bet would be, for example, 8 total runs with -110 juice on the over or the under. If the teams combine to score 9 runs or more, the book pays out the over bets, if the game comes in at 7 runs or less the books pay the under bets, and if the total lands right at 8 runs, all bets push.
New York Mets at Boston Red Sox Under 9.5 Runs (-110)
Assuming that the Boston Red Sox are able to hold onto one of the wild card spots in the American League and make the playoffs, it will be easy to point to the exact turning point of the season for Boston. After a hot start early in the year, the Red Sox briefly dropped all of the way down to 4th place in the AL East Division. But then came former Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale riding in on his white stallion to save the day.
Sale has been fantastic since rejoining the team, with a 4-0 record and 2.25 ERA. Sale looks just as good as he ever has, and a healthy Chris Sale makes the Red Sox legit World Series contenders. I am absolutely shocked to see a game total this high with a healthy Chris Sale on the mound.
And it’s not like Mets starter Taijuan Walker is a bum either, as he made his first-ever All-Star team this year and has pitched mostly great all season long. Taking the under at Fenway Park is always a bit of a gamble, but this is far too good of a starting pitching matchup to expect double-digit runs to hit the board. I am taking the under.
Minnesota Twins at Chicago Cubs Over 7 Runs (-110)
This line makes absolutely no sense. After watching these team’s pound out 14 runs yesterday, on a whopping 27 base hits, I almost couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this low of a total for game 2 tonight. I mean, I get it, these teams can’t hit, but game totals of 7 runs are generally reserved for elite starting pitching matchups.
To say that this matchup between Joe Ryan, who has a total of 17 Big League innings on his resume, and Kyle Hendricks, who has completely given up on his team since they gutted the roster at the trade deadline, isn’t an elite matchup would be the understatement of the century. Hendricks has been the Cub’s ace for the last several seasons, and I guess his name recognition is what is keeping this number so low?
But when you see that he has gotten blasted for at least 6 earned runs in 4 of his last 7 starts, you have to know that this is just plain and simple a bad number. I am going over, and I doubt we will even have to sweat it out at all.
San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres Over 9.5 Runs (-110)
I see fireworks going off tonight in Slam Diego, as the Padres host the San Francisco Giants in a must-win spot for the Friars. The Padre’s playoff dreams are quickly going up in smoke as they are now 5 games back of the St. Louis Cardinals for the 2nd wild card in the National League, and they know that they have to find a way to snap out of their funk, and right now, if they want any shot at backdooring into the postseason.
I like their chances to score a bunch of runs tonight, with Scott Kazmir getting the start for San Francisco. Yeah, that Scott Kazmir. Kazmir is a feel-good story, as he hadn’t pitched in the Major Leagues since 2016, and after a successful stint pitching for team USA in the Olympics, he gets a chance to spot start tonight for the G-Men, who are still dealing with the injury to Johnny Cueto.
The San Diego bats haven’t been the problem, as they have been scoring plenty of runs, it has been the pitching staff that has been getting pounded, and that is going to continue tonight with Vince Velasquez starting for the Pads. Velasquez was picked up on waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies, and he has been downright awful in the last month, getting hammered for 28 runs in just 21.2 innings. 9.5 runs is a high total, but I could see this game ending up as a 10-9 slugfest of a game. I am going over.
Game Total Parlay
Teams Odds
New York Mets at Boston Red Sox Under 9.5 Runs -110
Minnesota Twins at Chicago Cubs Over 7 Runs -110
San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres Over 9.5 Runs -110
$100 Bet Pays $700
The Daily Dog
Do you want a chance at jumbo payouts? The best way to stack the cash fast is by parlaying underdogs! You can find high-value underdogs on the board basically every day betting Major League Baseball, and there is no way to win faster than by parlaying a couple of dogs together and getting paid.
St. Louis Cardinals (+115) at Milwaukee Brewers
I have taken the St. Louis Cardinals in each game of this series so far with the Milwaukee Brewers, both times as huge underdogs, and both times I cashed tickets. These wins couldn’t have been bigger for the Red Birds, as they have built up a decent cushion for the wild card in the NL, and a win tonight in game 3 against Milwaukee is going to go a long way into solidifying the Cardinals as a playoff team.
After knocking off Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff in the last 2 days, the Cardinals catch a break today with Brett Anderson getting the start for Milwaukee. Anderson is by no means a bad pitcher, but he isn’t anywhere near the level of Peralta and Woodruff, and I see him struggling tonight at home. Anderson is averaging only 4 innings per start in his last 6 starts, and that tells me that this Brewers bullpen, who haven’t been very good in this series, are going to need to carry a lot of the load tonight.
🔟 pic.twitter.com/uzuqb7P1fj
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 22, 2021
The return of Jack Flaherty was the headline in St. Louis, and rightly so, as Flaherty is the ace of this staff. But in my opinion, the real reason that the Cards are going to make the playoffs hasn’t just been the addition of Flaherty, but also getting Miles Mikolas back as well. Mikolas didn’t pitch at all in 2020 and missed basically all of this season as well, and while he hasn’t been overly sharp since returning to the field, I see him being a big key to the Cardinal’s postseason success. I am up a boatload of cash on the Cardinals in this series, and I will ride them again tonight, again as dogs, in game 3 against the Brewers.
Seattle Mariners (+120) at Oakland Athletics
Similar to the Cardinals, I have taken the Mariners in each of their 2 games with the A’s, both times as dogs, and cashed both tickets. The M’s and A’s are going to see a lot of each other down the stretch, and whichever team can win these games will be the team that has a shot at catching one of the AL East teams for the final playoff spot in the American League. So far, it has been the Mariners that have gotten the upper hand, and I see more of the same happening tonight in game 3 with the Mariners starting Chris Flexen.
Flexen isn’t getting nearly the love that he deserves as a comeback player of the year, as this kid has been fantastic. Prior to this season, Flexen was last seen pitching in the KBO, and he has been a major addition to this Mariner’s rotation. Flexen is prone to the occasional blowup start, which has inflated his ERA, but more often than not, he is great. Flexen has held opposing teams to 3 earned runs or less in 23 of his 28 starts this season, and Seattle is 19-9 in his 28 starts.
The vibes… they’re good. #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/LuQ7SGKWq0
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 22, 2021
Cole Irvin came out of the gates hot for Oakland, but like much of this A’s squad, he has seen his production fall off in the 2nd half of the year. The A’s are just 6-7 in his 13 starts since the All-Star break, and the Mariners have smashed him this season. No team has hit Irvin harder than Seattle, as Irvin is 0-3 with an 8.49 ERA in 3 starts against Seattle.
My gut tells me that the schedule is going to run out before the Mariners can catch the Yankees or Blue Jays for the wild card, but this team is trying hard and doing everything that they can to win games. For the 3rd day in a row, I will back the Mariners as road dogs in Oakland.
The Daily Dog Money Line Parlay
Teams Odds
St. Louis Cardinals +115
Seattle Mariners +120
$100 Bet Pays $473
Get Rich Or Die Trying
In this final section, we are going to go for the jumbo payouts! These are your lottery ticket types of plays that aren’t going to come in all that often but pay off big time when they do. A wise man once said, if you don’t swing hard, you never hit any home runs. Well, in this section, we swing for the fences!
Texas Rangers at New York Yankees Over 9 Runs (-110)
Sometimes you are picked to start a game to be the designated loser. That is the case today for Taylor Hearn of the Texas Rangers, as they are basically feeding him to the wolves today in the Bronx. Hearn is coming off one of his worst starts of the year, where he got beaten up by the Chicago White Sox to the tune of 7 runs, all earned, on 8 hits and 3 walks, in just 3.1 innings pitched. If he is that bad again today, this game sails to the over early.
And as much as I love Corey Kluber, this isn’t the Corey Kluber of old, as he just hasn’t been the same since missing over 3 months with an injury. Kluber pitched great his last time out, but in his previous 3 starts since returning from that injury, he had given up 11 runs in just 11.2 innings pitched. I see runs coming early and often tonight in the Big Apple, and this game will coast to the over.
Baltimore Orioles at Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 Runs (-140)
Sometimes you make a play based solely on the price. I am very hesitant to back a home team on the run line, especially a team that is inconsistent like the Philadelphia Phillies, but I just can’t resist taking them today as the discount is just far too attractive to pass up.
The Phillies are -350 on the money line, with Zack Wheeler starting the game. That line is certainly steep, but it is hard to blame the books, as Wheeler has been outstanding. But when I see that I can back Wheeler and the Phillies at just -140 on the run line, a discount of over -200 points, I will fire hard on the Phillies laying that run and a half. When the price is right, the price is right.
Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels Over 9.5 Runs (-110)
I might sound like a broken record here, as I have been taking the over in the LA game every day, but if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it, right? The Angel’s pitching staff has been bad all season long, but they have been particularly bad recently, as they have gotten embarrassed for double-digit runs in each of the last 2 games against Houston.
Maldy mash, back-to-back nights.#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/wWj4Rqd8gH
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 22, 2021
The Halos pitching staff might be bad enough to send this game flying to the over all on their own, but if they aren’t, you can count on Astros starter Luis Garcia to chip in at least a couple of runs as well, as Garcia has struggled on the road this year, with a 4.61 ERA. His road production pales in comparison to what he has done at home, where he has a 2.19 ERA. We have seen 25 runs scored so far in this series, and this game could end up being the highest scoring game of this series yet! Over, over, over.
Get Rich Or Die Trying Parlay
Teams Odds
Texas Rangers at New York Yankees Over 9 Runs -110
Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 Runs -140
Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels Over 9.5 Runs -110
$100 Bet Pays $625
Wrap Up
Parlays are a great way to make quick cash, and here you have four different ways to get in on the parlay bet action! Betting on Major League baseball can be both fun and exciting, as well as being very profitable! Make sure you swing by TheSportsGeek’s Major League Baseball betting page, where our team of pro handicappers bring you sharp betting advice and free MLB picks each and every day!
