Top MLB Parlay Picks of the Week (Aug 22-28)

It has been a rather crazy week in the Major Leagues, with playoff contenders like San Francisco and Baltimore facing a bit of some setbacks while other like Kansas City, Boston and Cleveland receiving big boosts from solid weeks. What can we expect from the MLB lines this week? Here is a brief look at some of the most noteworthy games of the week, narrowing down our focus to the ones that look to offer the best value as our top parlay picks.

Let’s Check Out the Top MLB Parlay Picks of the Week (Aug 22-28)

The “A” is more than an ever-present logo, it’s the tie that binds us.https://t.co/eKMc9hQI92

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 22, 2016

Braves at Diamondbacks (Wednesday Aug. 24)

Pick: Diamondbacks (-1.5 on Run Line)Thanks to the strong efforts of Jean Segura, Yasmany Tomas and Jake Lamb, the Diamondbacks have been a solid offensive unit, averaging over 5 runs scored per game at Chase Field and over 4.5 runs on the road since the All-star break. In spite of that offensive success, the Diamondbacks have struggled when it comes to pitching, a key reason they’ve been losing games quite cheaply, including a 3-7 mark in their last 10 overall games. Fortunately for the Diamondbacks, they will be sending their best pitcher in Zack Greinke against Atlanta on Wednesday. Besides the obvious pitching advantage Greinke will own over Teheran, the Braves are just 2-8 in their last 10 overall and have been struggling mightily in offense lately. So, simply put, expect Dansby Swanson, Arizona’s first overall pick in 2015 before he was traded this past winter to Atlanta, to have a rough homecoming, as Greinke and the Diamondbacks record a solid win here.

Astros at Pirates (Thursday Aug. 24)

Pick: Pirates (Moneyline)After going 6-1 in their previous 7 games (including a road sweep of the Giants and a road series win over the Dodgers), the Pirates lost three straight games at home to the Marlins over the weekend, ceding ground to the Cardinals in the race for the second spot in the NL Central division. It’s not all bad news, though, as the Pirates have seemingly improved in their pitching, not allowing 5-plus runs in any game of their last three series, with their bullpen particularly playing well despite the absence of Mark Melancon. Hosting the Astros (3-3 last week) will be tough, but I expect Pittsburgh to get back on track, especially on Wednesday when they give the ball to Gerrit Cole. The former Pittsburgh ace has been far from his best stuff this year, but he tends to play well at PNC Park, and that should count for something against the equally shaky Collin McHugh, who will be starting on the mound for Houston on Wednesday. Mind you, prior to the three-game streak they bring to Monday, the Astros had lost five straight games, so it’s not like they have been that great.

Royals at Red Sox (Saturday, Aug. 27)

Pick: Red Sox (Moneyline)The Red Sox starters and bullpen have joined hands to give some quality games over the recent times, cumulatively helping to lower Boston’s team ERA. The offense, meanwhile, is back to its bullying best, with the Red Sox winning 8 of their last 10 games and now sitting 0.5 games behind Toronto in the NL East. As long as the pitchers can continue to improve and the offense stays hot, it’s hard to see the Red Sox losing that dropping that many games this week. Of most interest to us is Boston’s home game vs. Kansas City on Saturday, featuring Boston’s David Price and Kansas City’s Duffy. Obviously, Danny Duffy is a starter that with a lot of upsides and the Royals are balling on an eight-game winning streak entering Monday, so an upset could be in the books here. That said, we strongly believe that David Ortiz and gang will keep their bats hot, and that will prove to be the winning difference in this game.