Major League Baseball Parlay Of The Day 5-26-21

Our red-hot month of May continued yesterday as we nailed yet another parlay, this time cashing our all money line 3-teamer for a juicy $455 payout! The bet came in when the Los Angeles Dodgers (-110), Cleveland Indians (-141), and Chicago Cubs (-143) all took care of business as small favorites. The Cubs made us sweat it out early, as they trailed 3-0 before storming back for a 4-3 victory, but after that, it was all smooth sailing as the Dodgers and Indians both won their games by multiple runs. The parlay hit was the highlight of the day, but the winning didn’t stop there as we also picked up winners on the Padres (+104) as underdogs and the Giants (-177), as well as cashing in some totals bets too.

The Dodgers have now won eight straight and 12 of their last 13 games. pic.twitter.com/hZGvi8LQPU

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 26, 2021

When you are betting baseball every day, you try not to get too focused on short-term results, as the variance is always going to be brutal. You always want to focus on making sure you are doing your homework and making high value plays, and once you do that, the rest is up to the gambling Gods to decide. And as much as I try to focus on the process and not the outcome, it sure feels good to run good like we have been in the last several weeks. Today, we will get right back at it, looking to stay hot, 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.

Colorado Rockies at New York Mets (-134)

The Colorado Rockies are an embarrassment on the road this season with a dismal 3-18 record away from home. You would think that at some point, this road futility would start to even out, but if it doesn’t, Colorado could set an all-time record for road ineptitude, as they have been dreadfully bad. Colorado did manage to pick up 1 of those 3 road wins earlier in this series, when they upset the Mets in game 1 of this 4-game set, but the Rockies got right back to their losing ways last night, as they didn’t have anything for New York ace Jacob deGrom, who cruised through 5 innings of 1-run work, punching out 9 along the way.

After annihilating the @GoPBCardinals 😂, Jacob deGrom reminded us that he does this to everyone. pic.twitter.com/hjblqBfBoC

— New York Mets (@Mets) May 26, 2021

Tonight, they are going to have to face another ace in New York’s Marcus Stroman, and I am shocked to see this line so tight. Stroman certainly isn’t deGrom, but his 2.75 ERA is elite, and he has allowed 2 earned runs or fewer in 7 of his 9 starts. The Rockies will look to match Stroman with German Marquez, who has made 3 road starts this season and has an 0-3 record and 4.60 ERA to show for it. Even if Marcus Stroman wasn’t starting this game, I would still like New York as a straight fade of the Rockies on the road. But with Stroman on the mound, I would expect this line to be much higher priced, and I will back the Mets tonight at home laying just a dollar thirty-four and feel like I am getting a -200 favorite.

Atlanta Braves at Boston Red Sox (-127)

The Atlanta Braves took game 1 against the Boston Red Sox powered by a stellar start from veteran Charlie Morton, who tossed 7 innings and allowed just a single unearned run. The Braves will look to make it 2 wins in a row in Beantown today and will send Drew Smyly to the mound, hoping that Smyly can stay hot. Smyly was awful in April with an 0-2 record and 8.05 ERA. Atlanta lost all 4 of the games he started in April, but in May, he has settled down quite a bit, going 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA. Smyly will have his hands full today with this Boston lineup that is tied for the most runs scored in the American League.

The home office 🥰 pic.twitter.com/SFt3k7S8zC

— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 25, 2021

Nobody has benefited from these high scoring Boston bats more than starting pitcher Nick Pivetta. Pivetta has been getting boatloads of run support all season long, and the combination of lots of production at the plate and Pivetta’s solid work has led to a lot of wins for the Red Sox. Pivetta is a perfect 5-0 on the year with a 3.59 ERA. The Red Sox are 8-1 when he starts, and opposing teams are hitting just .189 against him at Fenway Park. The Red Sox need this game today, as the Tampa Bay Ray’s recent 11-game winning streak has propelled Tampa past Boston for 1st place in the AL East Division and the Red Sox know they can’t fall too far behind the defending AL Champions if they want to stay in contention. The Braves were lucky to pick up the win yesterday, but I think their luck runs out today, as Nick Pivetta is just going to be too much for the Brave’s inconsistent lineup, and Drew Smyly just might get hammered.

Los Angeles Dodgers (-148) at Houston Astros

Yesterday I made my play on the Dodgers in their series opener with the Astros as I felt that they were just too hot not to want to back. The Dodgers steamrolled Houston, blowing them out 9-2, handing the Astros their 4th consecutive loss. LA has now won 12 of their last 13 games, and with a win today, they would pick up their 3rd consecutive series sweep. It’s hard not to like the Boys in Blue today with reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer on the bump for LA. Bauer has been as good as advertised for the Dodgers, as he has a blink, and you will miss it, 1.98 ERA. He hasn’t allowed more than 2 earned runs in any start since his 1st start of the season, and he hasn’t allowed an earned run in either of his last 2 starts, throwing a combined 13.1 innings while allowing just 4 hits and picking up 21 Ks.

#DodgersWin!

FINAL: #Dodgers 9, Astros 2 pic.twitter.com/0Ko4EGAdQy

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 26, 2021

Houston will attempt to salvage a series split today by sending Luis Garcia to the mound. Garcia has mostly pitched well for Houston, but he rarely gets deep into games, and I see him struggling against this Dodger’s team that leads all of Major League Baseball in runs scored. Garcia has picked up winning decisions in each of his last 2 starts, after Houston lost his first 7 appearances of the season, despite his solid production. It is back to losing for Luis Garcia today, as Trevor Bauer is just pitching too well, and the Dodgers are too hot not to want to back at this price.

$100 Bet Wins $424

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.

Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees Under 9.5 Runs (-110)

I know many of you out there don’t know who Alek Manoah is, but you will. Manoah was a 1st round draft pick back in 2019, and despite the Blue Jay’s desire to take things slowly with him, he is forcing Toronto’s hand as he is torching his way through the minor leagues. After playing in A-ball last year, Toronto moved Manoah up to triple-A this year, and the kid has been stupid good with a 0.50 ERA in 3 starts with 27 Ks in just 18 innings pitched. Manoah played 3 seasons of college ball, so he is a bit older than most of the guys drafted in 2019, and the Blue Jays are going to give him a shot in the show today against the New York Yankees.

Goodnight, #BlueJays fans 💙

Let’s WIN this series tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/Ea8F8KVMzZ

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 26, 2021

The total stinks of the public seeing a starter that they have never heard of and assuming he is going to get lit up. I tend to think otherwise, as this kid is uber-talented. And when you look at how great Domingo German has pitched in the last month or so, this total feels way inflated. I will likely make a speculative play on Toronto has huge underdogs based on the public’s ignorance of Alek Manoah, but New York is red-hot right now, so that is a risky proposition, and I see more value in leveraging my knowledge of Manoah into this game total bet, than on a side.

Los Angeles Dodgers at Houston Astros Under 8.5 Runs (-110)

We already talked about his game above, and I am shocked to see a game where Trevor Bauer is pitching have such a low game total. Bauer is always good, and if he shuts down the Astros as expected, it is going to be very hard for the Dodgers to push this game to the over all on their own. They did it yesterday, when they exploded for 9 runs, so it certainly CAN happen, I just don’t think it WILL happen. This feels like a 4-2 type of game that stays well under the total.

St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago White Sox Under 8.5 Runs (-110)

There might not be a better pitching matchup on the board today than this one, as John Gant and Carlos Rodon have both been outstanding this season. These guys don’t have the household names of guys like Trevor Bauer and Jacob deGrom, but they are pitching at an elite level right now, and this total seems awfully high. Gant’s ERA on the year is 2.04, and Rodon’s is even better at 1.27. Chicago did manage to hand Jack Flaherty his 1st loss of the season last night, which gives me a little bit of pause on this play, but I try to never react to a small sample size of data and the lion’s share of the data tells me that both of these guys are going to be good and that runs are going to be hard to come by on the South Side today.

$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.

Texas Rangers (+108) at Los Angeles Angels

This play is both a fade of the Los Angeles Angels and their starter Griffin Canning, as well as a show of confidence in Rangers starter Dane Dunning. Dunning has had his fair share of ups and downs, but when he is on his game, he is very good, and against this depleted Angel’s lineup, I see him having a lot of success. In the month of May, Dunning has made 4 starts, and in 3 of them, he allowed 2 earned runs or less. On the season, he has given up 2 earned runs or less in 6 of his 9 outings. Some rough outings in between have led to a higher than it should be ERA, but against this Angel’s team that is 9-15 this month, he is well worthy of a play as an underdog. Oh, and did I mention Griffin Canning has lasted just 10 total innings in 3 home starts and has an ERA of 6.30 in Anaheim? I’ll take the Rangers as an upset special today on the road.

Cincinnati Reds (+116) at Washington Nationals

The Cincinnati Reds did something yesterday that has been nearly impossible for teams to do this season, and that is, they beat National’s starter, Max Scherzer. It’s not like Scherzer got hammered or anything, he actually pitched fairly well, but at the end of the day, the Reds handed Washington the loss. Something tells me that the Reds are going to make it back-to-back wins in Washington today as Nat’s starter Joss Ross has been getting blown up with regularity. Going back to late April, Ross has allowed 27 total runs in his last 6 starts, and the Nationals have lost 5 of those 6 games. In the month of May, Washington is 0-4 when Ross gets the starting pitching nod. Jeff Hoffman is certainly no world-beater, but he has had some nice outings this season, as he has allowed just a single earned run in 4 different starts this year. Hoffman has worked 9 innings in his last 2 starts and has been charged with just 3 earned runs, on only 6 hits, while striking out 12. Washington has been one of the lowest-scoring teams in the National League all season long, and if Hoffman is ever going to have a nice outing, it is against these weak hitting Nats. I smell upset in the National’s Capital today, give me the Reds.

$100 Bet Wins $350

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!

St. Louis Cardinals (+188) at Chicago White Sox

How can a guy that has pitched as well as John Gant has this season be getting this much juice? Yeah, the White Sox are great, and they are particularly great at home, but man, does this line feel way off. Carlos Rodon has been pitching his brains out this season for Chicago, and he is the frontrunner for the AL Cy Young Award right now, but after winning in each of Rodon’s first 5 starts of the season, the White Sox have lost in his last 2 outings. John Gant has made 4 road starts and has a 1.42 ERA to show for it, and I just can’t resist being able to back a guy that has been that good, at this type of jumbo price.

Chicago Cubs (-136) at Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on my auto-fade list right now, as the losses are coming far too regularly not to want to be on the other side every day. Pittsburgh is 6-18 in their last 24 games, and when you find spots like this one where the price to fade them is reasonable, I have no choice but to bet it blind. I know Chicago stinks on the road, but I bet on the Cubs yesterday on the road, and they cashed my ticket, and I will bet on them again today as well. Trevor Williams isn’t any good, but neither is Wil Crowe, so I’ll chalk the starting pitching matchup as a wash. But one thing that isn’t a wash, is the overall strength of these teams, as the Pirates are awful, and the Cubs are sitting a half of a game out of 1st place in the NL Central Division.

Cleveland Indians at Detroit Tigers (+110)

Coming into this season, the Cleveland Indians were excited to give super prospect Triston McKenzie his first chance at being an everyday regular in the Indian’s rotation. Things started out well enough for the 23-year-old right-hander, but the wheels have fallen off for him here this month. In May, McKenzie is 1-3 with an ERA of nearly double digits at 9.82. He has yet to get out of the 5th inning in any start this season, and he has gotten blasted for 5 earned runs or more in 3 of his last 4 starts. I know the Detroit Tigers haven’t been very good this season, but they had won 9 of 11 before this current 4-game losing streak. Detroit has won 4 out of Jose Urena’s last 5 starts, and I always love finding ways to back home underdogs. I like Detroit in a mild upset, as Triston McKenzie isn’t quite ready for primetime and he shouldn’t be favored on the road.

San Diego Padres (-134) at Milwaukee Brewers

Yesterday I was able to get the San Diego Padres as underdogs in Milwaukee against the Brewers. The Padres won that game, and I got paid, and I will back them again today, this time as small favorites. San Diego has the best record in the Major Leagues, and they absolutely should be bigger favorites than this, against a Milwaukee team that is 6 games under .500 in the month of May. Chris Paddack was bad in April, but he has been light’s out in May, with a 1.38 ERA in 3 starts. San Diego is a must play at this price.

San Francisco Giants (-117) at Arizona Diamondbacks

There may not be a team that consistently gets disrespected more than the San Francisco Giants. San Francisco has had one of the best records in all of baseball for the entire season, yet we still find tons of spots like this one, where they are basically even money against the DBacks, who have the worst record in the National League, and are in absolute freefall. Even if Johnny Cueto wasn’t pitching as well as he has recently, I would still like the Giants, as they find ways to win games on a daily basis. This play shows outrageous value as I get to fade an awful team that finds ways to lose games they should win, and I get to back a team that is overachieving and playing really good baseball in the toughest division in the game.

$100 Bet Wins $3,300

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!