MLB Thursday best bets & top parlay picks – August 18, 2022

Your best bets in Major League Baseball (MLB) for Thursday involve a 40-year-old starter in St. Louis, a young Astros hurler facing a former All-Star in Chicago, and a day-game gamer for the Diamondbacks playing under the sun in San Francisco. Here are the best bets on MLB games scheduled for August 18th starting at 1:15 p.m. Eastern.

Colorado Rockies @ St. Louis Cardinals

Adam Wainwright still has it at 40 years old, going 8-8 with a 3.27 ERA and 1.19 WHIP this season. He’s allowed some hard contact against the Rockies over his career, with Colorado batters collecting 17 hits in 51 at-bats and a .756 OPS. Much of that damage has been done by Charlie Blackmon, though. He has eight of those 17 hits with three doubles, a triple, and a homer. Bet on him to have multiple total bases in this one.

Antonio Senzatela is scheduled to start for Colorado and has struggled to a 3-6 record with a 4.67 ERA and 1.65 WHIP this season. It has not helped that he’s been worse on the road than he has at altitude in Denver. His 5.50 ERA and 2.08 WHIP in seven starts away from home should convince you to pick St. Louis in the first five innings. If it isn’t, consider his 5.28 ERA in day games, which is almost a full run higher than it is in night games. If that’s not enough, the Cardinals are 25-of-83 with a .722 OPS against him. Paul Goldschmidt is seven-for-20 with two doubles and two dingers, so bet on him to have multiple total bases on Thursday.

Take the Cardinals in the first five innings and bet on their bullpen to hold off the third-worst bullpen in baseball. Also consider betting on St. Louis to win by two or more runs, and consider parlaying those bets with…

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Houston Astros @ Chicago White Sox

Luis Garcia is scheduled to start for Houston in Chicago. He’s been effective for the Astros, going 9-8 with a 4.03 ERA and 1.13 WHIP this season. The White Sox are mostly unfamiliar with him, so he has that going for him the first time through the lineup. Three of the four White Sox with at-bats against Garcia have a hit, with one going for extra bases. Garcia will have one of the best bullpens in baseball behind him. The Astros have the lowest reliever ERA in MLB and the fourth-best WHIP.

Lucas Giolito is expected to counter for Chicago, and he has struggled this season relative to his previous three seasons. Giolito is 9-6 with a 4.92 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. He’s allowed the highest opponent batting average and WHIP in his career outside of his rookie season in 2016. Giolito has already struggled with Houston’s lineup this season. The Astros are seven-for-21 against him with a double and two dingers for a 1.107 team OPS. Yuli Gurriel is two-for-two with a homer this season and five-for-17 with two doubles and a dinger against Giolito over his career. Chicago’s bullpen ranks 18th in ERA and WHIP.

Take Houston in the first five innings and on the moneyline. Parlaying the Astros with the Cardinals on the moneyline pays +157. Consider making your parlay a trifecta by including…

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Arizona Diamondbacks @ San Francisco Giants

Zac Gallen has allowed just five hits in his last two starts spanning a total of 14 innings. He is 8-2 on the year with a 2.94 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. He’s beginning to look a lot like he did back in 2020, when he posted a career-high ERA+ of 164. His WHIP has never been lower, however. Gallen has also shut down the Giants this season, limiting them to seven hits in 39 at-bats for a .179 batting average and .583 OPS against. Also, Gallen’s ERA in day games is 1.89 this season, with an opponent batting average of just .166 under the sun.

Logan Webb has also been effective this season, going 11-5 with a 3.00 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. The Diamondbacks have had more success against him than the Giants have had against Gallen this season, however. Arizona batters are 12-of-48 with four doubles and a dinger for a .690 OPS against. Ketel Marte is two-for-three with a double and a dinger, so consider betting on him to have multiple total bases on Thursday. Webb prefers pitching in night games, posting a 1.86 ERA at night and a 3.72 ERA during the day. August has also been a tough month for Webb. He has allowed 17 hits and eight earned runs over 20 innings pitched. Giants relievers also have the fourth-highest WHIP in MLB, giving the Diamondbacks the bullpen advantage.

Bet on Arizona in the first five innings and on the moneyline. Parlaying the Diamondbacks with the Astros and Cardinals on the moneyline pays a sweet +454.

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There are the best MLB bets for Thursday, August 18th. Get your bets in before first pitch at 1:15 p.m. Eastern and please gamble responsibly.

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