Major League Baseball Parlay Of The Day 4-20-21

Are we watching a World Series preview tonight in Seattle? Conventional wisdom says no, as the Mariners are still supposed to be at least a year away from truly contending after a multi-year rebuild, but the game between the M’s and the Dodgers last night featured the teams with the best records in their respective leagues, so at least at this way too early point in the season, you could argue that these are the top two teams. Seattle won the game 4-3, further proving that they just might be legit this season, and the teams will square off again tonight in the Jet City in the finale of a quick 2-game set.

Pure elation.

The @Mariners are tied for the best record in the AL. pic.twitter.com/1fnrh9e5Ba

— MLB (@MLB) April 20, 2021

Early in the baseball season, we see all kinds of squirrelly results that make it hard to differentiate between a fluky start and a team that is the real deal. A quick glance at the schedule shows me the Boston Red Sox in 1st place in the AL East and the New York Yankees in last. The Kansas City Royals are in 1st in their division, the AL Central, ahead of the 2nd place Cleveland Indians, and well ahead of the White Sox and Twins, who both have losing records on the year. Over in the NL, things are just as wacky as the Giants have a better record than the Padres, the Marlins are better than the Braves, and the Reds and Pirates both have better records than the Cubs. We will sort through all the chaos today and find a way to deliver max value 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.

Chicago White Sox (-113) at Cleveland Indians

We saw this identical matchup a week ago, and what happened will go down in history, as White Sox starting pitcher Carlos Rodon threw a no-hitter. It was nearly a perfect game, though, as Rodon hadn’t allowed a base runner until he hit a guy on the foot in the 9th inning, spoiling his chance at immortality. Cleveland starter Zach Plesac had as close to the exact opposite outing as possible, as he got hammered for 6 runs and didn’t make it out of the 1st inning. I know baseball is a game full of variance, and we can’t assume what happened last week is going to happen again this week, but man am I surprised to see this game at basically even money. The books are begging us to take the White Sox at this price, and I can’t fight off the urge to make a play on the South Siders. Give me Chicago as Carlos Rodon looks to stay hot.

San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies (-152)

The San Francisco Giants continue to impress here in the early goings of the season, as they hit play today with the 2nd best record in the National League, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants are getting the job done on the mound, as they have the 2nd best team ERA in the game, and they need every bit of that stellar pitching, as they are tied for last place in the majors in runs scored per game. San Francisco will start Logan Webb tonight, hoping he can be a little bit better than he has been so far this year. Webb started the year out in the Giant’s rotation but made his last appearance in relief and will get another start for San Francisco today. In those 3 appearances, Webb is 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA.

Back-to-back shutouts 👊#ResilientSF | @BlueShieldCA pic.twitter.com/afGlA8Hhgr

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) April 20, 2021

Philly will go with Zack Wheeler, who while being a bit inconsistent, has more than held his own this year for the Phillies. Wheeler has been charged with losses in each of his last couple of starts, but that was more due to a lack of run support than him pitching all that poorly. I like Wheeler’s chances of turning things around tonight at home, as he was light’s out in his lone home start of the season, and the Giants just aren’t scoring many runs. Don’t be shocked if Wheeler gets deep into this one and racks up double-digit K’s, and as long as the Phillies bats can do a little something against the struggling Logan Webb, we should be in great shape to win our bet.

New York Mets (-129) at Chicago Cubs

The New York Mets have been punished by delays and cancelations a lot this season. They have lost games due to COVID-19 and bad weather, and they have played the fewest games of any team this year. But the Mets have finally gotten a chance to play consistently in the last week or so, and they are playing well. New York is 5-1 in their last 6 games, and that is with many of their best hitters not hitting yet. Frankie Lindor is hitting just .189, Jeff McNeil is at .176, and Pete Alonso is slashing only .250. New York went all-in during the offseason, adding several key pieces, and they are showing that they are a team to beat in the NL East.

Offense on 🔥. #LGM pic.twitter.com/XdACCWWwVr

— New York Mets (@Mets) April 20, 2021

The same can’t be said for the Chicago Cubs right now, as they are the laughingstock of the league at the moment. The Cubs are tied for dead last in the league in runs scored, and they are 2nd to last in team ERA, in what has been a catastrophic start to the year for Chicago. I thought maybe the Cubs bats had finally woken up when they exploded for 13 runs on Saturday, but they followed it up with another weak day at the dish following that 1-game spurt, and they have now scored 4 runs or fewer in 12 of their 15 games this season. Both starters in this game have pitched well, and I’ll call the matchup between Taijuan Walker and Jake Arietta a wash, but in a spot where one team can’t lose, playing against another team that can’t win, I am staying with the hot hand and backing the Mets.

$100 Bet Wins $455

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.

St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Nationals Over 9 Runs (-110)

It wasn’t all that long ago that a starting pitching matchup between Adam Wainwright and Patrick Corbin would be one between a couple of elite starting pitchers. But that just isn’t the case right now, as neither one of these guys are pitching very well. Wainwright has certainly been better than Corbin, but that is only because Corbin has been so bad, as Wainwright has allowed 11 total runs in just 12.2 innings, spread across 3 starts. Corbin has been a complete embarrassment for Washington, getting smashed for 16 runs in just 6.1 innings while allowing a whopping 12 hits, 4 of which left the ballpark, and walking 7 guys. Both of these guys are capable of pushing this game to the over on their own, and we only need one of them to be bad today to get paid.

Houston Astros at Colorado Rockies Over 10.5 Runs (-110)

The Houston Astros were punched in the gut a week ago when they lost 5 of their best players to a COVID-19 outbreak in the clubhouse. The Astros didn’t play well without the heart of their order, as they went from 1st place to last place in the uber-competitive AL West Division and have lost 7 of 8. But most of those guys return today, including sluggers Alex Bregman, Yordan Alverez, and Martin Maldonado, and I think the Astros are going to quickly bust out of their current slump and hammer the Rockies in homer-happy Coors Field. And even if Rockies starter Jon Gray finds a way to slow down all these heavy-hitting bats returning for Houston, the Astros are starting the untested Luis Garcia, who will be making just his 3rd ever MLB start. All signs point to fireworks tonight in the Rocky Mountains.

Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals Under 8 Runs (-110)

The Tampa Bay Rays are again one of the weakest hitting teams in the American League this year, and while the bats are starting to heat up just a bit as of late, this isn’t a lineup that I am ever going to have too much confidence in. The Rays have always prided themselves on their pitching and defense and going back to April 10th, they have held teams to 3 runs or fewer 6 times in their last 10 games. The Rays are undefeated this year when holding teams to fewer than 5 runs, and I see Tampa Bay winning another tightly contested and low-scoring game today in Kansas City. The Rays won game 1 of this series last night 4-1, and this game feels like a similar outcome.

$100 Bet Wins $600

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.

Atlanta Braves (+110) at New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are currently the worst team in the American League. Let me say that again for those of you in the back. The New York Yankees are currently the worst team in the American League. When you look at this New York roster, it’s hard to understand how they can be so bad, but the Yankees’ 5-10 record is currently the worst in the league, and they have lost 8 of their last 10 games. The Yankees are hoping to turn it around at home tonight, as they host the Atlanta Braves, another team that is underachieving on the year.

Your National League Player of the Week: @ronaldacunajr24!#LaBestia | #ForTheA pic.twitter.com/SYZvV2XMKD

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 19, 2021

The Braves have been the streakiest team in baseball as they started the year by going 0-4, then won 4 straight, only to turn right back around and lose 4 straight again, and now Atlanta is hot again, having won 3 of 4. Like the rest of this Brave’s team, Charlie Morton has been all over the place, but it’s hard not to like him against a New York team that is 2nd to last in the AL in runs scored. Jameson Tailon has been awful, giving up 7 runs in 8.1 innings pitched, and it’s looking like he has yet to shake off the rust from having not pitched a full season since 2018. I guess the books haven’t been paying much attention to the standings this year, as New York is still consistently being priced as a favorite, and I will fade them in this one and back Atlanta.

Arizona Diamondbacks (+123) at Cincinnati Reds

It has been a slow start to the season for the Arizona Diamondbacks, as they just haven’t played very well. One of the few good stories for the DBacks this year has been the production of starting pitcher Zac Gallen. Gallen got a late start to the year, as he made his 1st start of the season last week, and while he didn’t get very deep into the game, he was really good when he did pitch, holding the red-hot Oakland A’s to just 1 run on only 3 hits while striking out 8 batters. Gallen hasn’t gotten a ton of work since breaking into the Major Leagues back in 2019, but in his career 28 starts, he has been exceptionally good, with a career ERA of just 2.77 and a K/9 ratio of 10.7. Arizona is hoping they can lean on Gallen to keep them in the hunt in the National League playoff picture.

Game 17. #RattleOn pic.twitter.com/Odfv6ci1lC

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) April 20, 2021

Gallen will have his hands full in this one against the upstart Cincinnati Reds, who have been hammering the baseball this year. The Reds are 2nd in the NL in runs scored and 3rd in home runs. But after a blistering hot start to the year, the Reds bats have cooled just a bit lately, as they have scored 3 runs or fewer 6 times in their last 8 games. Cincy is going to need a find a way to score on Gallen, as their starter, Luis Castillo, has been terrible. Castillo has given up 14 total runs in his 3 starts this year, despite pitching against weak-hitting teams. I smell upset in this one, as I like Zac Gallen to pitch well and for Luis Castillo to continue to frustrate Reds fans.

St. Louis Cardinals (+112) at Washington Nationals

We already talked about how bad Patrick Corbin has been this year, and he is a must fade right now until he can find a way to stop getting blown up each time out. Throw in the fact that Washington is in last place in the NL East, and their 5 wins on the year are worse than any other National League team not named the Colorado Rockies, and it is hard to understand where the books came up with this line. Maybe this is just Patrick Corbin nostalgia, as the guy has been good at times in the past? I’ll scratch my head and wonder what the books are seeing that I am not, and back the Cardinals as underdogs.

$100 Bet Wins $893

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!

Pittsburgh Pirates (+112) at Detroit Tigers

I don’t make a habit of betting on the Pittsburgh Pirates all that often, but despite a lack of talent and depth, they are playing fairly well right now. The Pirates have won 6 of 9, and Tyler Anderson has been serviceable on the mound. Anderson has worked into the 6th inning in each of his last 2 starts, and in his last outing, he held the hard-hitting San Diego Padres to just 1 run, on 4 hits, in 5.1 innings worked, and picked up a win for his efforts. What Pittsburgh has been able to do recently has been a nice story, but this bet is more a fade of the Tigers than any real confidence in the Pirates. Detroit has lost 8 of their last 11, and they are riding a 4-game losing streak. While I do see the Tigers as the slightly better overall team in this matchup, the momentum tells me that the Pirates are great candidates for an underdog play.

Baltimore Orioles at Miami Marlins (-121)

The Miami Marlins had a brutal start to their season, as they were 1-6 after the first week of play. But they have righted the ship in the last couple of weeks, and they are hoping to pick up their 3rd straight series victory in this 2-game set with the Orioles. Miami is 6-2 in their last 8 games, and I like them to stay hot and knock off an Orioles team that is 4-9 after sweeping their first series of the year. Neither of these starters are very good, and this is just another momentum play, as Miami is playing well, and Baltimore isn’t.

Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox (-112)

I hate to bet against Blue Jay’s starter Hyun jin Ryu, as he has been phenomenal since joining the Blue Jays, but his team just isn’t winning games right now. The Jays can’t seem to get anything going, and every time they take a step forward, they quickly take two steps back. Toronto has lost series this season to Kansas City, Texas, and the LA Angels, teams that do not project as playoff teams, and that has to scare Toronto fans as they face the Red Sox, who are tied for the best record in the American League right now. Eduardo Rodriguez has made a great career out of pitching decent and allowing his powerful lineup to support him with runs. That has led to a lot of wins for E-Rod in Boston, and I think it leads to another one tonight at home.

Tampa Bay Rays (-108) at Kansas City Royals

I am not a believer in the Kansas City Royal’s hot start to the season. They are in 1st place right now, but it is going to be short-lived, as they just don’t have the talent to compete with teams like the Twins, White Sox, and Indians in the AL Central. The fall back to earth is inevitable for the Royals, and I think that starts with this series with Tampa Bay. The Rays are coming off of a 3-game sweep over their archrivals, the New York Yankees, and they handled the Royals easily last night in game 1. I expect more of the same as Tampa Bay uses their elite pitching staff to slow down the Royals and take this game in a lower-scoring contest.

Houston Astros (-122) at Colorado Rockies

We mentioned above that I feel the Houston Astro’s recent struggles can be mostly attributed to their lack of star power, as COVID-19 robbed them of most of their best hitters. Now that the majority of those guys are back, Jose Altuve is the only remaining player that isn’t going to be activated before tonight’s game, I see the Astros making up for lost time in Colorado. The Rockies currently hold the title of having the worst record in baseball, and now that Houston has their guys back, it is shocking to see this line so tight.

Milwaukee Brewers (-103) at San Diego Padres

I try not to ever put too much emphasis on the starting pitching matchup in a game, as I feel that the betting public tends to overvalue the starting pitching matchup, while ignoring the overall strength of each team. The Padres are the better team in this matchup, and by the end of the season, I could see San Diego as 10+ games better in the final regular-season standings. But Corbin Burnes is a bad, bad man, and I can’t imagine not wanting to back him as an underdog right now.

.@Burnes16 has been ballin’ this year. pic.twitter.com/FHFPugRZsM

— MLB (@MLB) April 14, 2021

Burnes has pitched at least 6 innings in each of his 3 starts, and he has been stupid good. Burnes has a 0.45 ERA in 18.1 innings pitched with a completely outrageous 30-0 K/W ratio. Burnes has only given up 4 hits so far this season, and the only run he has allowed came on a solo shot home run from Byron Buxton in his 1st start of the season. Burns is on another level right now, and I am going to ride him until the wheels fall off, as he is just too good to fade.

$100 Bet Wins $4,963

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!