MLB Parlay Bet Payday: Bank on this 4-way parlay bet

Looking to cash in on MLB’s 2020 Opening Day? Bank on this 4-way parlay bet in the return of baseball.

Major League Baseball returns Thursday, July 23, with two games. The New York Yankees visit the Washington Nationals and the San Francisco Giants face the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. The rest of MLB will throw their first pitches on the official Opening Day of Friday, July 24. Let’s get some action in on MLB’s Opening Day slate with a can’t miss four-team parlay.

MLB Opening Day Parlay: Picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday, July 21 at 3:15 p.m. ET.

San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: UNDER 8 (-110)

SP Clayton Kershaw takes the mound on Opening Day for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons for the Dodgers. He has owned the Giants over his career with a 1.74 ERA and 350 strikeouts in 342 1/31 career innings. He has given up two or fewer runs in eight of his last 13 starts against the Giants from 2017 to 2019. In his last five Opening Day starts, Kershaw is 3-1 over 30 2/3 innings pitched, striking out 40 batters and allowing only six earned runs.

While Giants SP Johnny Cueto doesn’t have the Hall of Fame resume of Kershaw, he has pitched well in his career against the Dodgers. His record is only 4-5 in Los Angeles, but he has a 2.36 ERA and 1.066 WHIP at Dodgers Stadium.

Baseball season is finally here! Get some action on the 2020 season with an MLB futures bet at BetMGM in NJ, IN, CO and WV. Bet now!

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs: CHC moneyline (-129)

It wouldn’t be a bad idea if the Brewers went with an opener in their first game. Instead, SP Brandon Woodruff will take the mound. He’s 0-0 in five appearances against the Cubs with a 6.75 ERA.

Chicago sends out SP Kyle Hendricks who was dominant at home last season with a 6-2 record in 14 starts with a 2.04 ERA and a 0.874 WHIP. He has pitched well against Milwaukee in his career as well, going 8-6 with a 3.08 ERA all-time against the Brewers. Neither team lost key contributors to their lineups and the Cubs had more production in the box in 2019.

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Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Diego Padres: SDP moneyline (-129)

The Diamondbacks signed SP Madison Bumgarner this offseason to replace the loss of former ace Zack Greinke and he gets the start on Opening Day. He has been pretty average, by his standards, in San Diego. Bumgarner is 5-7 with a 3.75 ERA in his career at Petco Park.

Arizona beat up on San Diego in 2019. They were 8-2 in their last 10 games versus the Padres and finished 15 games better than them in the NL West last season. Diego’s promising 24-year-old SP Chris Paddack pitched well in his three starts against Arizona. Paddack was 1-0 with a 1.08 ERA and struck out 20 batters over 16 2/3 innings pitched.

Seattle Mariners vs. Houston Astros:  HOU -1.5 run line (-139)

This is probably the chalkiest bet of the whole parlay but there’s a reason why Houston is heavily favored. The Astros had the best winning percentage against division opponents in 2019, the Mariners had the fourth-lowest. Houston has beaten Seattle in 13 straight games and won 18 of 19 meetings last season.

Seattle’s Opening Day starter is Marco Gonzales, who’s 0-4 with a 7.36 ERA in his career against Houston. Expect 2019 AL Cy Young Award winner SP Justin Verlander to be in mid-season form after spending the offseason dealing with the Astros’ sign-stealing controversy and a groin injury which had him set to miss the original Opening Day.

MLB Opening Day Parlay: Payout

A $100 wager at +940 odds for this four-leg parlay would bank a profit of $940 if all four bets win.

Want action on MLB Opening Day? Sign up and bet at BetMGM. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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MLB Parlay Bet Payday: Bank on this 5-way parlay bet

Looking to cash in on MLB’s 2020 Opening Day? Bank on this 5-way parlay bet in the return of baseball.

The 2020 MLB season is here and betting odds are up at BetMGM for the Thursday and Friday Opening Day slates. At SportsbookWire, we’ve previewed all the teams, looked at all the top 2020 award contenders and made our best bets for all player props for the 60-game season. Below, we’ll look at the opening game lines and make our best picks in a 5-way parlay bet.

MLB Opening Day Parlay: Picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday, July 21 at 9:25 a.m. ET.

New York Yankees at Washington Nationals: UNDER 7.5 (-110)

Gerrit Cole will make his Yankees debut in a marquee pitching matchup with the defending World Series champions and SP Max Scherzer.

The Yankees and Nationals ranked first and sixth, respectively, in runs scored last season, but two of the best pitchers in MLB will have the early edge over all hitters in this delayed start to the season.

Baseball season is finally here! Get some action on the 2020 season with an MLB Opening Day bet at BetMGM in NJ, IN, CO and WV. Bet now!

Atlanta Braves at New York Mets: ATL moneyline (+115)

Reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom will get the opening start at home for the Mets after dealing with a back injury throughout summer camp.

Look for the Braves to pounce early in what’s already likely to be a shortened outing for deGrom and get to a Mets bullpen that pitched to an aggregate 4.99 ERA last season. SP Mike Soroka gets the call for the Braves.

Detroit Tigers at Cincinnati Reds: CIN -1.5 (+110)

One of the most lopsided Opening Day matchups sees a popular NL Central darkhorse contender hosting a Tigers team widely projected to finish last in baseball. The universal designated hitter rule will help the Reds more than the Tigers in this interleague set.

Cincinnati should win this easily by two or more runs with Sonny Gray on the mound against Matthew Boyd.

Playing fantasy baseball? A Draft Day like no other deserves a fantasy baseball Cheat Sheet like no other. Weekly HQBasics from BaseballHQ is $4.95 with coupon code SBW5. Sign up now!

Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox: MIN moneyline (+105)

The hype has built around the young White Sox through the winter, spring and summer and now has them favored on Opening Day against the defending American League Central champions. Stick with the known entity in what we saw from the Twins last year instead of expecting instant results from one of 2020’s most popular long-shot bets.

Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics: LAA moneyline (+120)

Conversely, we’ll take the Angels over the Athletics, who qualified for the 2019 postseason as an AL wild-card team. 3B Anthony Rendon was one of the biggest free-agent additions of the offseason and bolsters the Angels’ lineup around OF Mike Trout. OF Justin Upton and SP/DH Shohei Ohtani are also back to full health following injury-shortened 2019 campaigns. Expect the Halos to start strong this season.

MLB Opening Day Parlay: Payout

The above five picks combine for odds of +3787. A $10 bet will return a profit of $378.74 if all five legs hit correctly.

Want action on MLB Opening Day? Sign up and bet at BetMGM. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren on Twitter, and follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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MLB Parlay Bet Payday: Bank on this 3-way parlay bet

Looking to cash in on MLB’s 2020 Opening Day? Bank on this 3-way parlay bet in the return of baseball.

After nearly a four-month delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 MLB season will get underway this week. The season will open with a marquee matchup between the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals Thursday night, followed by a full slate of games Friday. To get you ready for the start of the season, we’ve laid out a three-way parlay for the first two days the MLB season.

MLB Opening Day Parlay: Picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday, July 21 at 11:15 a.m. ET.

New York Yankees at Washington Nationals: NYY moneyline (-139)

This is the best matchup of the week, particularly when you’re talking about pitching battles. We’ll be treated to SP Gerrit Cole versus SP Max Scherzer to open the 2020 season, as the Yankees take on the defending world champions.

The Yankees are primed to make a deep playoff run this season now that they have an ace to complement their powerful lineup, and that’ll become evident quickly. The Nationals are plenty talented and it’ll be a close game, but it’s hard not to feel good about the Yankees here, especially with empty stadiums taking away from a team’s home-field advantage.

If New York can knock Scherzer out of the game by the fifth inning, the game will be in the Yankees’ hands.

Baseball season is finally here! Get some action on the 2020 season with an MLB Opening Day bet at BetMGM in NJ, IN, CO and WV. Bet now!

Detroit Tigers at Cincinnati Reds: CIN moneyline (-176)

SP Sonny Gray rejuvenated his career last season with the Reds and I expect him to carry that success over into this year. He’ll be on the bump for this one against one of the worst teams in baseball, yet the moneyline is still only -176.

The Reds look like contenders with OF Nicholas Castellanos and 2B Mike Moustakas in the lineup now, as well as a solid bullpen to back up Gray and a revamped starting rotation. The Tigers will be trotting out SP Matthew Boyd for the first game of the season, with a mediocre lineup taking on Gray and the Reds.

Playing fantasy baseball? A Draft Day like no other deserves a fantasy baseball Cheat Sheet like no other. Weekly HQBasics from BaseballHQ is $4.95 with coupon code SBW5. Sign up now!

Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox: MIN moneyline (-106)

There isn’t a closer matchup on the Opening Day slate of games than the one between the Twins and White Sox. It’ll be SP Jose Berrios against SP Lucas Giolito, who are two of the best young pitchers in the American League Central.

The Twins still boast a highly powerful lineup and figure to be in playoff contention, but the White Sox could have something to say about that with a solid roster of their own.

This will be our first look at rookie phenom OF Luis Robert, who will be in the conversation to lead the majors in home runs. I feel better about the Twins’ more-experienced lineup than I do about Chicago’s early in the year.

MLB Opening Day Parlay: Payout

A $10 bet on this three-way parlay at odds of +426 would return a profit of $42.60 if all three legs hit.

Want action on MLB Opening Day? Sign up and bet at BetMGM. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Betting 101: How to bet on the MLB for beginners

Looking at the various sports betting options centered around the MLB, with betting advice, tips and definitions of key terms.

In the single-game framework, baseball is the most unpredictable of the four American major professional sports. It’s also the most frequently played, with each MLB team playing generally 27 times per month for a six-month period from April to September. For the bettor, high frequency and unpredictability make for a great deal of excitement, whether betting a single-game outcome or season results. Below, we take a look at definitions of key sports betting terms and how odds work in the many ways to get a piece of MLB betting action.

MLB betting: Ways to bet

Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list of today’s sports betting odds and lines.

  • Single-game betting: Individual games are broken down into a moneyline, run line, or Over/Under. Bettors can back one of two sides of each line.
  • Live betting: Get action while the game is underway with lines adjusting almost constantly based on which team is winning or dominating play. In-game injuries and big early leads can drastically affect the lines and odds.
  • Alternate lines: When looking to bet on a game, it’s always wise to look at all of the available options on the alternate lines. These can offer either a greater profit margin or a higher probability of winning the bet.
  • Futures betting: Place bets in the offseason or at any point within a season by backing a team to win the World Series or the AL/NL pennant or their league, or to win a certain number of games. Player awards such as the league MVP or Cy Young Award are also available as futures. Odds are adjusted throughout the year based on team or player performance.
  • Prop bets: Get single-game action on in-game events, like total runs plus hits plus errors in a given inning, a yes/no on the game going into extra innings, or game firsts (strikeout, hit, home run, etc. …)

MLB betting: Key betting terms to know

  • Favorite: The team the market identifies as the most likely winner. Starting pitchers often play a role, here.
  • Underdog: Conversely, underdogs or dogs, are the team the market tags as most likely to lose.
  • Moneyline: The most common bet type – simply pick one side or the other to win the game. Moneylines typically look for a team to win a game, but five-inning and other lines can be found, each changing the end-point of the wager and the calculus of the odds.
  • Run line: The favorite is tagged with the stipulation of winning by a margin of -1.5 runs. With roughly a third of all MLB games decided by a single run, this wager type changes the odds – sometimes flipping a moneyline favorite to a run line underdog.
  • Total or Over/Under: A line set for how many combined runs will be scored in the game by the two teams. Can be a full game or a five-inning total for a single game or a component of a prop bet (example: Over/Under 17 total strikeouts in a game).
  • Push: A wager not won by either side. MLB games can’t end in a tie, but bets sometimes can (the Over/Under is the most common push in baseball betting).
  • Chalk: Referring to odds on heavy favorites. The odds are generally so low as to not be worth betting as the profit margin is too small to warrant the small risk.
  • Parlay: Combining two or more bet types from the same game or across multiple-game offerings. It increases the total odds, but they’re extremely risky as all plays need to be correct for a bet to win. The more bets included, the higher the payout, but the higher the risk.
  • Teaser: Buy or sell some runs on a run line or a total bet in order to get better odds or increase your chance of winning with lower odds.

MLB betting: How do odds work?

Baseball odds on the moneyline generally range from -250 to +250, but one of the lures of MLB betting is the preponderance of plays in the -175 to +175 range. The more even margins typically mean less of a takeout on the sportsbook end. A $10 bet at -150 would return a profit of $6.67 on a win. A $10 bet at +150 would return a profit of $15 on an upset win.

All bets are paid out shortly after a game finishes, with those funds being allowed to be placed on new bets or be withdrawn from the sportsbook.

First-time MLB bettors should note how expected pitchers (starting and otherwise) for a game can drastically change what the normal team-vs.-team odds would be in a vacuum. Recent trends, matchup histories, variable strengths and weaknesses based on pitcher handedness and venue, and injuries all play into how a game is priced. Finding small market inefficiencies can be profitable when plotted against a daily slate of 10 to 15 games each day.

Get some sports betting action by placing a bet with BetMGM today. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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