MLB Sunday best bets & top parlay picks – August 21, 2022

Sean Manaea starts in San Diego against the Nationals, Luis Castillo goes for Seattle in Oakland, and Dylan Cease of the White Sox battles Aaron Civale in Cleveland on Sunday. Here are the best bets on Major League Baseball (MLB) games scheduled for Sunday, August 21st starting at 12:05 p.m. Eastern.

Washington Nationals @ San Diego Padres

Patrick Corbin will start for the Nationals, and he hasn’t exactly been good for them this season. He’s 4-16 with a 6.96 ERA and 1.80 WHIP. Against the Padres, he’s allowed 27 hits and 14 walks in 104 plate appearances. San Diego batters have 13 extra-base hits off Corbin for a .939 OPS. The team as a whole is hitting .300 off him, with Manny Machado leading the way, going six-for-15 with a double and a dinger. Wil Myers is 11-for-32 with four doubles and a dinger. Consider betting on either or both players to have multiple total bases on Sunday.

Countering for San Diego will be Sean Manaea, who is 6-6 with a 4.83 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. He hasn’t been particularly good against the five Nationals he’s faced, allowing 13 hits in 41 at-bats, including a double and four dingers. That’s a .317 batting average and 1.074 OPS against. Nelson Cruz is seven-for-22 with three of those homers, so bet on him to have multiple total bases once again. Luckily Manaea, almost half of Washington’s lineup will be unfamiliar with him. Manaea is also better at home, going 4-3 with a 4.45 ERA as compared to a 2-3 road record with a 5.16 ERA. This is a day game, though, and Manaea is 1-3 with a 5.68 ERA when the sun is up. The first five innings could be a mess in this one, but San Diego should pull away. The Padres are 11th in runs scored in the seventh inning or later, and the Nationals have a bullpen ranked in the bottom third of baseball.

Stay away from the first five innings and just take San Diego on the moneyline and the run line. Parlay those bets with…

Seattle Mariners @ Oakland Athletics

Seattle’s new ace, Luis Castillo, has enjoyed his move from Cincinnati. The Mariners have won all of his starts since trading for him prior to the MLB Trade Deadline. Given that Castillo pitched in the National League, most of the Athletics are unfamiliar with him. Stephen Vogt is three-for-six with a double, however. You might consider betting on him to have multiple total bases.

JP Sears is expected to start for Oakland, and he’s been great over 32.1 innings pitched this season. He’s posted a 4-0 record with a 1.95 ERA and 0.90 WHIP despite striking out just 20 batters. Sears has yet to complete six innings, however, and Oakland’s bullpen ranks sixth-worst in WHIP (1.36). Seattle’s offense is better against bullpen arms, too. The Mariners are 20th in runs scored but 15th in runs scored in the seventh inning or later.

Take Seattle in the first five innings, on the moneyline, and on the run line. Parlaying the Mariners and Padres on the moneyline pays +110, but consider adding…

Chicago White Sox @ Cleveland Guardians

Dylan Cease hasn’t ceased to amaze this season, going 12-5 with a 2.09 ERA (3rd in MLB) and 178 strikeouts (4th in MLB). In 87.1 innings pitched during the day, he has a 1.24 ERA. On the road he has a 1.34 ERA over 60.1 innings pitched. The Guardians have managed to collect 22 hits in 74 at-bats against Cease, but have just seven extra-base hits, with just one leaving the yard. That’s a .297 batting average and .777 OPS against. Jose Ramirez is five-for-15 with two doubles, so consider betting on him to have multiple total bases on Sunday. Expect Cease to have the advantage with the sun casting nasty shadows on the field for this 12:05 p.m. Eastern start time.

Aaron Civale is scheduled to start for the Guardians, and his 5.63 ERA and 1.34 WHIP don’t tell the whole story. Civale has been much better at home than on the road, with a 4.09 ERA in Cleveland and a 7.26 ERA everywhere else. Day games have also been his undoing. In 20.1 innings under the sun, Civale has a 6.64 ERA. Righties also hit him hard, with an .821 OPS. The White Sox have also enjoyed their at-bats against Civale, going 23-for-80, but with just seven extra-base hits. That is still an .829 OPS and .287 batting average against. Yoan Moncada is seven-for-16 with a double, Luis Robert is five-for-12 with a homer, and Eloy Jimenez is five-for-11 two homers. Consider all of them for player prop bets.

Take the underdog White Sox in the first five innings and on the moneyline. A moneyline trifecta featuring Chicago, Seattle, and San Diego pays a sweet +321.

There are the best MLB bets for Sunday, August 21st. Get your bets in before first pitch at 12:05 p.m. Eastern and please gamble responsibly.