Top MLB Parlay Odds & Picks for Friday May 20 (2022)

May 20, 2022 - 3:16 PM

We have a couple of games tonight that featured teams that just played each other the week prior, and all of these starters pitched in those series. It will be interesting to see who will have the advantage the second time around.

Let’s take a closer look at the odds:

(Odds courtesy FanDuel)

Arizona Diamondbacks (+114) vs. Chicago Cubs (-134)

(First Pitch 2:21 p.m. ET)

Last week the Diamondbacks looked like a contender in the NL West. The hitting was getting better while being supported by good pitching. They had won 12-of-16, but they just snapped a six-game losing streak coming into Friday after Thursday’s win.

Humberto Castellanos has been up and down since moving to the starter role. He had a solid start against the Cubs last week as he made just two mistakes; a hanging curveball to Patrick Wisdom for a solo home run and a fastball where he missed the location outside and instead hit the inner half for another solo shot. If his offense had given him some support, he could have won that game.

The Cubs right now are just riddled with injuries. Nick Madrigal, Nico Hoerner, Jason Heyward, Clint Frazier, and Marcus Stroman are just some of the players on the IL. They were already a rebuilding team, and now they have to piece together a starting lineup for most of the year.

Kyle Hendricks comes into this start continuing to struggle. He’s not an overpowering pitcher but has always been good a locating and changing speeds, just like another former Cubs pitcher named Greg Maddux. This year specifically, he’s leaving his pitches in the zone, and without swing-and-miss stuff, he’s getting crushed with a 40% hard-hit rate. He did pitch well in his last start against the Cubs with 5.2 and just one earned, but he left a lot of pitches up that the Arizona hitters just slightly missed.

You have to like Castellanos against an Iowa Cubs lineup, while Arizona made good contact against Hendricks in his last start and should be much better the second time around.

Leg 1: Diamondbacks ML

St. Louis Cardinals (-156)  vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (+132) O/U 8.5

(First Pitch 6:36 p.m. ET)

The Cardinals are coming in after a rough series against the Mets where they were outscored 26-15 and now have lost six of their last 10. Not everyone on the offense is struggling, as Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .317, Nolan Arenado is hitting .306, and Juan Yepez is hitting .342 through his first 13 career games. But they just collectively need to get the lineup going.

If anyone can get them on the right track, it’s their long-time anchor Adam Wainwright. The 40-year-old is pitching well in his swan song as he has 3.15 ERA with three-straight quality starts. He has already pitched against Pittsburgh as he pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just five hits on opening day.

The Pirates hitting and pitching are both near the bottom as they’re 27th in ERA (4.38) and runs per game (3.30). They are in a complete rebuild mode but have some promising young players, including their former first-round pick SS/3B Ke’Bryan Hayes, who’s hitting .289 with a 1.7 WAR, and closer David Bednar, with a 0.90 ERA and eight saves.

Zach Thompson will go for the Pirates, and his most significant trouble this season has been his command. He comes in near the bottom of the league with a 4.4 walk rate. The Cardinals are an average team in walk percentage but don’t strike out much. They’re going to work the count throughout this game, and we could see that pitch count go up quickly.

After Thompson comes the 26th ranked bullpen with a 4.15 ERA. Lock the Cards at the start of this series.

Leg 2: Cardinals ML

Chicago White Sox (+175) vs. New York Yankees (-205) O/U 8.5

(First Pitch 7:06 p.m. ET)

The Yankees are coming into this home series as one of the hottest teams in baseball, having won 14 of their last 18 games at home and nine of 11 overall. They are hot on both sides of the ball as they are fourth in runs per game (4.89) and first in ERA (2.74).

Nestor Cortez continues to be a pitcher you know will put up the strikeouts and give you a chance to win. He’s looking like a very early Cy Young contender as he’s second in the AL in WHIP (0.85), strikeouts per win (11.0), and first in ERA (1.35). His last start was also against the White Sox, where he pitched a career-high eight innings, allowing one earned on three hits. He worked both the cutter and fastball very well, and while those pitches don’t overpower you, the movement gets hitters off balance.

It looked like the White Sox were getting things going before last week’s series at home against the Yankees. They had gone into that series, winning seven of the previous eight, and the offense was starting to improve. But they hit the skids when the Yanks came to town, and now they’ve lost five out of their last eight.

Dallas Keuchel will get the star. If you look at the 5.54 ERA, you immediately want to fade him. If you look further, that’s mostly stemming from one start where he allowed seven earned in one inning. In his other starts, he’s pitched 25 innings, allowing just nine earned. He pitched well in his last start against the Yankees with five shutout innings in the 3-2 win and kept the ball down like the old Keuchel, preventing the Bronx Bombers from hitting for any power.

While Keuchel is pitching well, he isn’t nearly as good as Cortez is and will have to be near perfect to contend in this game. The Yankees also crush lefties at home as they are tied for the first with eight home runs and second in slugging at .475. Their little league field plays well to their strengths, and they have the better supporting bullpen.

Leg 3: Yankees ML

Total parlay odds on FanDuel: +422

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts

Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our Sports Betting Strategy and Advice page is for you. You can get started with our 101 section — including 10 Sports Betting Tips for Beginners — or head to more advanced strategies — like Key Numbers When Betting Against the Spread — to learn more.

The post Top MLB Parlay Odds & Picks for Friday May 20 (2022) appeared first on BettingPros.