We are just 2 days from the All-Star break, but before we enjoy the home run derby on Monday and the All-Star game on Tuesday, teams still have to finish out their weekend series which includes a 16-game slate today with the Cubs and Cardinals scheduled for a double-header in St. Louis. Today's action begins in Detroit with the Tigers and Dodgers at 1:10 PM ET and concludes in Arizona with the Diamondbacks hosting the Toronto Blue Jays at 10:10 PM ET.'
Saturday's mega parlay features a home team on the run line, a road underdog to win outright, and an under pick in what could be forecasted as a pitcher's duel. Below I'll provide an in-depth analysis of each game and the value that lies within each pick.' For more action, be sure to check out our MLB predictions page which takes a look at some of the games not covered in this article. With that said, let's take a look at Saturday's MLB mega parlay which pays out at +863 odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.'
Cincinnati Reds -1.5 over Miami Marlins (+136)
The Cincinnati Reds are at the bottom of the NL Central standings entering their game against the Marlins this afternoon, but the National League is wide open as we approach the break, with Cincinnati among a group of 6 teams within 3 games of the final Wild Card spot. The Reds have played sound baseball here in July, posting a 7-4 record that includes a 3-game sweep over the Yankees. It's also worth mentioning that their last 5 wins have all been by at least 3 runs. At the same time, the Miami Marlins are 30 games under .500 and well on their way to losing over 100 games on the year. Miami enters Saturday on a 4-game losing streak with just 2 wins in their last 11 games.
Perhaps the biggest flaw with Miami this season has been the performance of their starting, which is surprising to say considering their rotation finished top-10 in ERA the past 2 seasons. This season, Marlins' starters rank 29th with a 5.10 ERA, and right-hander Edward Cabrera, who will toe the rubber this afternoon, owns a 6.84 ERA across his first 6 starts of the season. Cabrera has elite strikeout stuff (30.7% K rate), but he has walked 13.2% of his batters and has failed to get through 5.0 full innings in his last 4 starts.'