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Best MLB Parlay Picks Today (Go Low and Early for a Big, Late Payday on Tuesday)

By Ben Heisler

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez has plenty to smile about when facing the Texas Rangers. The lefty is 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA in 4 starts!
Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez has plenty to smile about when facing the Texas Rangers. The lefty is 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA in 4 starts! / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
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Using odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, here's my favorite plays to roll into an MLB parlay this Tuesday evening.

Best MLB Parlay Picks Today

New York Mets at Pittsburgh Pirates - First Five Innings UNDER 4.5 (-110)

If there's a play that involves the under and the Pirates' offense right now, I'm pretty much all over it.

Meanwhile, Keller appears to be back on track after a few rough starts in mid-August; going six innings, striking out 10 Milwaukee Brewers in his previous start.

Both teams rank in the bottom eight in batting average in the month of September, and with both starters looking like they're past their previous struggles, I'll take the under 4.5 through 5 innings.

Texas Rangers at Houston Astros - First Five Innings UNDER 4.5 (-142)

Framber Valdez is the epitome of consistency for the Houston Astros. The talented left-hander has thrown 164 innings this year, only allowing more than three earned runs one time back in April against the L.A. Angels.

Over his past four starts, he's averaged more than seven innings; allowing just five earned runs in 31 innings; including 16 strikeouts in 15 innings with two runs allowed vs. these very Rangers. All together this year, Valdez is 3-0 in four starts with a 0.96 ERA vs. Texas.

On the other side, Glenn Otto's home-road splits are fairly significant. The right-hander has a 3.70 ERA in 56 innings away from Arlington, compared to a 6.10 ERA in 48.2 innings at home. Opponents are hitting just .211 against him on the road, and while the Astros are always a dangerous team at home, even if Otto allows three runs in the early going, I'm backing Valdez to hold them to pretty much nothing the first two times through the order.

Chicago White Sox at Seattle Mariners - First Five Innings UNDER 4.5 (-162)

Would you believe it? Another first five under to complete the parlay? "BOOOOOOO, that's boring!"

I know, I know, it's not the most thrilling parlay completion of all-time, but you'll like it if it cashes!

Johnny Cueto faces off against Logan Gilbert in the pacific Northwest with both teams in a key fight for American League postseason positioning in the Wild Card race.

Cueto has had just a few poor starts since arriving in Chicago in mid-May; allowing five runs or more in just two starts. He's also equally good the first and second time through the order, with a 2.66 and 2.62 ERA respectively, and has also been excellent on the road with a 1.81 ERA in 59.2 IP.

As for Gilbert, my once huge darkhorse pick for the AL Cy Young has had a terrific year; albeit with some ups and downs. Through the first five innings this season, the young right-hander has a 3.28 ERA with a Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) of 3.52.

Both lineups rank middle-of-the-pack this season in weighted-on-base-average (wOBA) and with two quality starters going tonight, expect the first half to be low scoring and competitive.

MLB Parlay for Tuesday, September 6

  • Mets @ Pirates F5 UNDER 4.5 (-110)
  • Rangers @ Astros F5 UNDER 4.5 (-142)
  • White Sox @ Mariners F5 UNDER 4.5 (-162)

This three-leg parlay at FanDuel pays out at +426 odds, meaning a $25 bet would win $106.55.

If life's too short to bet the under, than betting three first-five inning unders in a 3-way parlay might be a death sentence. However, I enjoy a good pitcher's duel in the early going, and then watching the runs start to pop up when your bet's already cashed is the antithesis of boring! It's fantastic!

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