It looked like Thursday was going to be a wasted day, but somehow, the Pennsylvania Parlay turned into a cash in the most unlikely of circumstances. Getting a ninth-inning comeback from the Phillies was hard enough (although not entirely a surprise thanks to Washington’s horrible bullpen), but we also ended up needing Steelers coach Mike Tomlin to pass on a 22-yard field goal with two minutes to go and Pittsburgh already scoring 16 points in the second half.
Somehow, it happened, making the day a win. We might have used up all of our luck on that bizarre cash, but we’re going to try to keep the good times rolling anyway. Here are Friday’s five best bets.
BOURNEMOUTH-WEST BROMWICH OVER 2.5, -110
If I’m going to study the Finnish Veikkausliiga, I’m certainly going to look at the Championship, England’s second tier. These teams are both in transition after hiring new coaches, and both should play a fairly attacking style in the opener. Bournemouth pumped home 41 goals at the Vitality Stadium last season and should be ready to score even more now that fans are back in the building. Meanwhile, both teams scored in West Brom’s final six matches of last year, and the Baggies’ final four contests all saw at least three scored.
METS-PHILLIES UNDER 9.5, -110
New York isn’t Washington. The Mets aren’t likely to let the Phillies back into the game in the ninth inning with a late rally, and both teams are sending quality to the mound in Marcus Stroman and Kyle Gibson. Now that Gibson’s pitching for a good team, he should be much more comfortable on the mound and should be able to keep the score down. Don’t expect a repeat of the Phillies’ past five games.
RAYS-ORIOLES OVER 9, -110
For whatever reason, John Means really doesn’t seem to like pitching at Camden Yards. He’s been roughed up pretty good in five home starts in Baltimore, and the over has cashed in four of them. Ryan Yarbrough isn’t pitching all that well either, and the wind is pushing to left-center, so the conditions are right for a high-scoring contest here.
REDS -0.5 F5, -120
JT Brubaker hasn’t been awful in his past few starts for Pittsburgh, but he hasn’t been good either. He’s taken the loss in six of his past nine starts, which usually means being behind at the end of five innings. Cincinnati jumped on Pittsburgh on Thursday, and there’s a good chance that the Reds do it again here.
ATHLETICS -2.5, +115
The Rangers have been terrible on offense no matter where they play, and with Mike Foltynewicz and his 8.39 road ERA coming to Oakland, this seems like the time for the Athletics to put up a huge number. Given that the Rangers only scored eight runs last series with the Angels, I don’t want to mess with the total here. The spread is staggering, but I think Oakland covers.
