We have a full slate of Major League Baseball action in front of us on Friday night. That means there are plenty of opportunities to cook up some Same-Game Parlays (SGPs).
Here are three of my favorite MLB SGPs for Friday, July 26. As usual, some sportsbooks are waiting to post props, so make sure you are always searching out the best price.
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Friday’s Best MLB Same Game Parlay Bets
Atlanta Braves @ New York Mets
- Leg 1: Kodai Senga Under 6.5 Strikeouts (-179)
- Leg 2: Francisco Lindor Over 1.5 Total Bases (+120)
- Leg 3: Jeff McNeil Over 0.5 Base Hits (-169)
The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves have been heading in opposite directions of late. New York has won four straight, while Atlanta has dropped five in a row. A Mets win on Friday night will vault them ahead of the Braves for second place in the National League East.
Kodai Senga will be making his 2024 debut for the Mets in this game. The 31-year-old has been out all season due to injury. I am taking the under on Senga’s 6.5-strikeout prop as the first leg in my SGP.
There are reports Senga does not have any restrictions heading into Friday’s start, but that feels like wishful thinking. Senga made four rehab starts and failed to throw more than 79 pitches in any of them. With the Mets finally getting their mojo going, the last thing they want to do is endure a setback with Senga’s health.
Senga threw 88 pitches in his first start last season, and that was without the specter of a shoulder injury that has already cost him four months. Senga threw 90 or fewer pitches in six starts last season. He struck out more than six batters in just one of those six starts.
I expect the Mets to play it safe with Senga, which should result in a modest strikeout total on Friday night.
For the final two legs of this SGP, I am riding New York’s two hottest hitters €” Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil.
Neither hitter has great career numbers against Friday’s starter Charlie Morton. However, both hitters are on fire heading into Friday’s matchup.
Lindor enters this game with a 10-game hitting streak and has recorded two or more total bases in six of those 10 games. Those numbers are even more impressive considering Lindor has drawn 10 walks in that stretch.
In that same timeframe (minus one game in which he did not start), Jeff McNeil has recorded 13 hits in nine contests.
Caesars Sportsbook is not offering an option for McNeil to record two total bases, but I will note he has done so in seven of those nine games. If you play both players to record two or more total bases at another sportsbook, you could replace the Senga leg with a dummy leg (Mets +4.5, for example) and still make this a qualifying SGP.
As it stands, simply adding McNeil to get a hit is enough to push this particular SGP over the +400 threshold, so that is how I am playing and tracking it.
Parlay Odds: +430 via Caesars Sportsbook
Seattle Mariners @ Chicago White Sox
- Leg 1: Seattle Mariners Moneyline (-155)
- Leg 2: Drew Thorpe Under 4.5 Hits Allowed (-140)
- Leg 3: George Kirby Under 0.5 Walks Allowed (+120)
Our next SGP takes us to the Windy City where the White Sox host the Seattle Mariners.
Seattle is stumbling lately, losing eight of their last 10 games. However, they have two things going for them on Friday night. First, is that George Kirby is on the mound. And second is that they are playing the Chicago White Sox.
Chicago has lost 11 consecutive games and has won just one game in the last 20 days. This team is far and away the worst in the Major Leagues by nearly every measure.
If you want to play it safer, you can take Seattle +1 and still cross the +400 threshold for this SGP. In the event Chicago was to win by one run and the other two legs hit, this SGP would pay out at +270. I will let it roll with Seattle on the Moneyline behind Kirby.
Kirby has not allowed a walk in 11 of his 21 starts this year. Combine that with him facing a team that has been non-competitive from an offensive standpoint and I expect Kirby to challenge Chicago’s hitters to put the ball in play. This should result in zero walks allowed by Kirby on Friday.
Though I do believe Seattle will come out victorious, Drew Thorpe has been a pleasant surprise for the Pale Hose. Thorpe has only allowed 22 hits while facing 156 batters this season.
He has given up three or fewer hits in six of seven starts, so I love getting the extra hit to play with. The Mariners are hitting .193 as a team versus right-handed pitchers this month.
Even if the newly acquired Randy Arozarena makes the trip to Chicago, I do not expect the Mariners to muster five or more hits against Thorpe.
Parlay Odds: +575 via DraftKings Sportsbook
Washington Nationals @ St. Louis Cardinals
- Leg 1: St. Louis Cardinals Moneyline (-166)
- Leg 2: Sonny Gray 4+ Strikeouts (-650)
- Leg 3: MacKenzie Gore Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-155)
- Leg 4: MacKenzie Gore 1+ Walks Allowed (-1100)
- Leg 5: Willson Contreras Over 1.5 Total Bases (+125)
For my final SGP on Friday, I am looking to the matchup between the Washington Nationals and the St. Louis Cardinals. This SGP is essentially a full fade of Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore, who has been abysmal of late.
Let’s start with the St. Louis side. They have won 12 of Sonny Gray’s 18 starts and are a considerable favorite in this matchup. The Nationals are quickly fading out of the playoff picture as the MLB trade deadline approaches. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are right in the thick of the race. I am counting on a Cardinals victory on Friday.
Gray has struck out at least four hitters in all 18 of his starts this season. He has also struck out five or more in 17 and six or more in 15. I played it conservatively here because the Nationals have struck out only 21.2% of the time against right-handed pitchers in July. But you could certainly bump this number up a notch or two if you want some more bang for your buck and I would not argue against it.
Over his last six starts, MacKenzie Gore has allowed 22 runs in just 25.2 innings. Gore has been too inconsistent lately to rely on him going deep in this game and recording a bunch of strikeouts. The Cardinals have struck out in only 19.4% of their plate appearances this month when facing a left-handed pitcher.
I added Gore to walk at least one batter because he has issued at least one free pass in 19 of his 20 starts, and multiple walks in 12 of 20. However, this SGP would qualify even without adding this leg. Removing this leg would lower the payout of this SGP to +410.
Finally, I like Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras to record at least two total bases on Friday. Contreras is 4-for-7 lifetime against Gore with two doubles. I expect him to have a big day at the plate versus Gore in this matchup.
Parlay Odds: +455 via DraftKings Sportsbook
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