MLB Same Game Parlays & Picks: Monday (3/30)
In a rare occurrence for a Monday in the Major League Baseball season, and for just the second time since Opening Night, all 30 MLB teams are in action on a loaded 15-game slate. Thus, there was plenty of data to scour to come up with our best MLB same game parlays (SGPs).
First, I need to acknowledge some of the craziest things to happen over the opening weekend, from rare division success (the National League East was the first ever division to have all its teams start 1-0), individual success (JJ Wetherholt of the Cardinals was the first player in MLB history with a home run in his first career game and a walkoff hit in his second) and team success (the Blue Jays walked off their first two games of a season for the first time in franchise history).
This article will break down a pair of SGPs that feature player props and juicy plus-money odds.
Get instant alerts when a line reaches your target via the BettingPros App >>
Monday’s Best MLB Same Game Parlays
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Boost your MLB betting strategy with our MLB Prop Bet Analyzer and get the top-rated and trending MLB player props today.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds
- Leg 1: Matt McLain 1+ Runs (+114)
- Leg 2: Sal Stewart 1+ RBIs (+143)
- Leg 3: Chase Burns 7+ Strikeouts (-174)
The first two legs of this same-game parlay go hand-in-hand, as I expect the top of the Reds lineup to continue their torrid start to the season.
First baseman Sal Stewart had five hits in the first two games of the season, becoming the youngest player to do so in franchise history. Meanwhile, Matt McLain continued to be an excellent table-setter in the No. 2 hole in the lineup. On Saturday alone, McLain reached base five times in six plate appearances and was batting .429 after turning in a .509 average in spring training.
The third leg of this parlay looks to capitalize on a trend from a small sample size that the Pirates have struck out at a 55.6% rate in 18 plate appearances against Chase Burns. The youngster ranked in the 97th percentile in average fastball velocity last season, and his xERA was 1.09 runs lower than his actual ERA (3.48 compared to 4.57).
That bodes well for his chances of racking up strikeouts against a Pirates lineup that had already struck out 21.8% of the time entering Sunday.
Parlay Odds: +719
New York Yankees vs. Seattle Mariners
- Leg 1: Cal Raleigh 2+ Total Bases (+135)
- Leg 2: Julio Rodriguez 1+ Hits + Runs + RBIs (-330)
- Leg 3: Ryan McMahon Under 0.5 Hits (-110)
The Yankees allowed one run through their first three games of the season, the lowest number through a season’s first three games in franchise history. But I see a big drop-off from their first three starters to Ryan Weathers, who may find himself out of the rotation once Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt come back from injury.
This is a great opportunity for Cal Raleigh to get going, as he should be motivated by sharing the field with Aaron Judge, whom he narrowly lost the MVP race to last season.
Raleigh struck out eight times in his first eight at-bats to open the season, making him the first player since 1961 with a strikeout in eight consecutive at-bats to begin a season. But Raleigh also mashed left-handed pitching for a .281/.351/.681 triple slash line last season. I expect him to break out of this mini-slump in his better hitting split.
With Raleigh getting on base ahead of Julio Rodriguez, that increases his RBI chances. But I also like his chances of scoring runs when he is on base now that he is protected by Josh Naylor and Brendan Donovan for a full season.
Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon is 1-for-11 in his career against Luis Castillo. Banking on him to go hitless adds value as a third leg to this parlay.
Parlay Odds: +485
Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.