Media by Associated Press – Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi throws a pitch to the Baltimore Orioles during the seventh inning of the second game of a baseball doubleheader, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, in Baltimore. The Blue Jays won 5-1. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Friday is a massive day for MLB and a day full of playoff baseball with four games to kick off the new playoff format. The top two teams in both leagues get a first-round bye, but the Wild Card round begins with a day full of baseball. The first round is a best-of-three series, and the teams won’t travel during the round.
The schedule starts with the Cleveland Guardians hosting the Tampa Bay Rays at 12:07 p.m. ET on ESPN. The St. Louis Cardinals host the Philadelphia Phillies at 2:07 p.m. ET on ABC, and the Toronto Blue Jays host the Seattle Mariners at 4:07 p.m. ET on ESPN. The day ends with the San Diego Padres at the New York Mets on ESPN at 8:07 p.m. ET.
Let’s take a look at a three-team parlay for the Friday games to kick off the weekend and MLB playoffs.
Guardians (-120) v. Rays
The first pick for the parlay comes from the first game of the day. Cleveland returns to the playoffs as the AL Central champions and 92 wins. The stadium will be rocking as they host the 86-win Rays, who are full of playoff experience.
The Guardians will have RHP Shane Bieber on the mound against Tampa Bay’s LHP Shane McClanahan. Cleveland got to McClanahan early and often back in July, knocking him out before the fifth inning was over. In just 4⅓ innings, McClanahan allowed five runs on seven hits as Cleveland won 5-3.
The Guardians were 4-2 against the Rays this season, 2-1 in both ballparks. They beat the Rays 2-1 in two straight games at the end of September in Ohio and overall were 28-15 against left-handed pitches this season. Cleveland has a strong back end of the bullpen, going 28-17 in one-run games, while the Rays were 27-27.
Mets (-150) v. Padres
Max Scherzer has 26 career playoff outings and 21 starts as he takes the hill for the New York Mets at home Friday. He is 0-0 in two Wild Card games but overall 3-1 in his team’s first round of action. On the other side, San Diego’s Yu Darvish is 2-5 with a 5.18 ERA in seven postseason starts, including losses on both of his Wild Card starts.
Darvish beat Scherzer head-to-head in July and was 2-0 against the Mets this summer. The Mets lineup is stacked with Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Eduardo Escobar, and NL batting champ Jeff McNeil. They will make things tough on Darvish all night on Friday.
The Padres have some big bats too, but they will have their hands full with playoff Scherzer and a strong bullpen. Citi Field will be electric on Friday, especially if the trumpets start playing as Edwin Diaz enters in a save situation.
Blue Jays v. Mariners Over 7 (-105)
The series with the most potential for fun and wildness is likely the one in Toronto between the Blue Jays and the Mariners. Seattle is the big underdog and the only 2022 playoff team without a World Series appearance in their history. They ended a long playoff drought but may not get a home game.
Both teams are loaded with young talent, and this series boasts players that baseball fans around the world can’t wait to watch. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Julio Rodriguez, Bo Bichette, and Cal Raleigh represent the youth, while George Springer, Matt Chapman, Carlos Santana, and Mitch Haniger bring veteran experience to this series.
Alex Manoah gets the ball for Toronto, and Luis Castillo starts the opener for Seattle. Both had great seasons but could be overwhelmed and overmatched in the series opener. Look for the bats to get going early and carry this game to the over seven runs.
Parlay: +496
See more MLB picks.