Following a tense final weekend of the regular season, the 2021 MLB postseason matchups are set. After finishing one game behind the San Francisco Giants in the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers (106-56) will host the St. Louis Cardinals (90-72) in the 2021 NL Wild Card Game on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.
Both teams will come into this game scorching hot. St. Louis is fresh off a 17-game winning streak in September, while Los Angeles won eight in a row to close out the regular season.
Will the reigning World Series champs advance to the NLDS behind trade deadline acquisition Max Scherzer? Or will the Cardinals and their long-time ace Adam Wainwright keep rolling? Let’s dive in with our NL Wild Card Game parlay picks.
NL Wild Card Parlays Picks & Predictions
NL Wild Card Parlay Picks
All odds and lines for Cardinals vs Dodgers Parlays Picks & Predictions in the 2021 NL Wild Card Game are current as of Tuesday, October 5, and are courtesy of DraftKings.
- Dodgers Moneyline (-235)
- Under 8.5 Total Runs (-110)
- Trea Turner Over 0.5 Hits (-180)
- AJ Pollock Over 0.5 Hits (-160)
- Both Teams Score Over 1.5 Runs (-250)
This parlay has +950 odds, which I think is pretty solid value for five same-game events that all have a pretty likely chance of happening. Let’s break down each leg below.
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Dodgers Moneyline (-235) at DraftKings
There’s a ton of juice attached to the Dodgers in this one, but they are the heavy favorites in our MLB gameday odds for good reason. Los Angeles was arguably the best team in baseball wire to wire, while St. Louis was a sub-.500 team in the first half that caught fire down the stretch.
Additionally, Scherzer is one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball, ranking second in the NL with his 11.8 K/9 rate this year. On the other hand, the 40-year-old Wainwright relies more on finesse rather than overpowering hitters, as evidenced by his 7.6 K/9 rate and 3.66 FIP this season.
Wainwright’s craftiness may work on weaker teams, but it’s less likely to be effective against the NL’s top-scoring lineup. Regardless of whether you build a parlay, bet on the Dodgers eliminating the Cards and advancing to the NLDS.
Under 8.5 Total Runs (-110) at DraftKings
DraftKings has the Total set at 7.5 runs for straight bets but is offering 8.5 for parlays. This game figures to be a pitching duel, as Scherzer and Wainwright have been excellent this year and are capable of silencing offenses, especially in a pitcher’s park such as Dodger Stadium.
Both managers will likely go to their bullpens at the first sign of trouble, which will limit rallies and prevent the hitters from getting comfortable. Accordingly, placing a single bet on Under 7.5 runs is worth considering as well.
Read all of our 2021 NL Wild Card Game Betting Tips
Trea Turner Over 0.5 Hits (-180) at DraftKings
Trea Turner is fresh off leading MLB in hits (195) and batting average (.328), making him your best bet to get a hit in this game. He ended the season on a 19-game hitting streak during which he batted .403. Given Wainwright’s diminished stuff at this stage of his career, Turner should be able to make solid contact and register at least one base knock.
If you think Turner will get multiple hits — which he’s done nine times over his last 14 games — you can also place a single bet on him for Over 1.5 hits at (+170).
AJ Pollock Over 0.5 Hits (-160) at DraftKings
This is a bet that you can only make as part of a parlay, as DraftKings isn’t offering a straight bet on AJ Pollock‘s hit total. He’s worth including here, though, as he’s quietly been one of baseball’s best hitters over the past three months. Since July 7, he’s batting .345/.404/.635 with 69 hits over his last 57 games.
Similar to Turner, Pollock is a great contact hitter who should be able to get at least one knock against Wainwright, especially at home where he’s a .307 hitter this year.
Both Teams To Score Over 1.5 Runs (-250) at DraftKings
This is another parlay-specific bet that can’t be used as a single wager. It’s basically acting as a parlay juicer that is very likely to hit, unless either Wainwright or Scherzer delivers the performance of a lifetime. Both clubs have too much power and offensive talent to be held to one run or less.
NL Wild Card Same Game Parlay (+950) at DraftKings
At +750 odds, this MLB bet of the day is absolutely worth taking a shot on. Los Angeles should win a low-scoring affair, as the Dodgers will string together enough hits against Wainwright to put some runs on the board. St. Louis has enough quality hitters to score a couple of runs as well, but will ultimately come up short.
