Saturday offers another jam-packed slate across Major League Baseball, with 16 games on the schedule as the Rockies and Giants are set for a double-header. The day begins in Toronto with the Blue Jays hosting the Texas Rangers, and comes to a close in Los Angeles with a game between the Angels and the visiting Athletics.
Saturday's mega parlay features a pair of underdogs and a play on the under in the Mariners vs White Sox game. Below I'll provide an in-depth analysis of each game and the reasoning for my picks.' 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 +847 odds on Fanduel Sportsbook.'
Chicago Cubs ML over Kansas City Royals (+110)
The Chicago Cubs look to snap a 3-game losing skid tonight when they take on the Kansas City Royals, who beat the Cubs 6-0 last night. Chicago was playing well prior to the All-Star break, getting a series win over the Angels, sweeping the Orioles in a 3-game road set, and splitting their series with the Cardinals, but have since peeled off. Since the break, the Cubs are 2-5 and 7 games below .500. Meanwhile, the Royals are 10 games over .500 and 5-2 since returning from the break. Despite the current trajectories, I like the Cubs to rebound tonight with left-hander Shota Imanaga on the hill going up against Seth Lugo for the Royals.
Imanaga has been a bright spot for the Cubs this season, owning a 2.86 ERA against a 3.40 xERA across 18 starts. Other than 2 blowup outings in which Imanaga allowed a combined 17 earned runs, the southpaw has not given up more than 3 earned runs in his other 16 starts. Imanaga is coming off a career-high 10 strikeouts in his last outing against the Diamondbacks, and his chase rate and walk rate both rank in the 95th percentile or higher. The Cubs also have a significant bullpen advantage in this matchup, as their bullpen owns a 1.12 ERA over the last 30 days.