"The season is over," proclaimed angry Yankees fans following a four-game losing skid, including a pair of losses by 20 combined runs. Sure, it's not ideal, but New York should have a decent chance to break the slide Saturday in game two of its series against the Atlanta Braves.
I constructed a same game parlay at pretty decent odds for the second game of this series between a pair of World Series hopefuls. It's Yankees heavy, which feels right after two terrible games, and features a pair of player props on Juan Soto and Anthony Volpe.
Read below for my Braves vs Yankees MLB parlay, including Saturday SGP picks for June 22.
Braves vs Yankees Parlay Picks Saturday
- Juan Soto 2+ Total Bases (+135)
- Yankees Moneyline (-150)
- Anthony Volpe to Score a Run (-155)
Parlay Odds: +339 (FanDuel)
Remember to bet responsibly — this is a long shot for a reason.
Juan Soto 2+ Total Bases (+135)
Let's kick off the SGP with one of the Yankees' premier sluggers doing premier slugger things. I love this matchup for Juan Soto, especially at +135 odds. I'm sure the past week of rough games from Soto feeds into the odds, but we're talking Soto here. He's immune to lengthy slumps.
The one thing that makes Soto so special as a hitter is his ability to hit both left- and right-handed pitching at an elite level. Some players have severe splits, but not Soto. He’s batting .319 against left-handers compared to .305 versus righties, but his .594 slugging versus righties compared to .528 against lefties makes him going over 1.5 total bases an even stronger bet.
While he can secure a pair of base hits with ease, right-handers have allowed 25 extra-base hits to Soto compared to eight from lefties.
Soto also crushes Charlie Morton, so that’ll stick in the mind of the 40-year-old veteran starter. In 16 career plate appearances, Soto is 7-for-11 with three homers against Morton. So, you’d think Morton probably just walks Soto, right? Unlikely. Morton would then face Aaron Judge, who’s probably the best hitter in baseball. Opponents can’t afford pitching around Soto because it leads to Judge.
The final piece of backing Soto is the motivation factor. You can't find any stats here, but Soto is the type of player who thrives from anger from poor performances. It wouldn't surprise me if the three strikeouts fueled his fire.
Yankees Moneyline (-150)
After a brutal pair of blowout losses, the Yankees will look to ease the ire of fans on Saturday with a win — one that would bring joy to the fanbase, and myself, as a proud bettor of the Yankees in this SGP. Aaron Boone hands the ball to Marcus Stroman, who’s the perfect type of pitcher to slow down the Braves surging offense.
The best way to limit the Braves bats is throwing strikes (they walk just 7.5% of the time, fifth worst in baseball.) Stroman is a ground-ball machine (85th percentile in GB%) While the underlying metrics — 3.08 ERA and 4.79 FIP — suggest he should regress. He's walked too many batters, to be sure, but Stroman allowing a baserunner is different than most pitchers. His propensity for ground balls can turn a walk into two outs quickly, so Stroman may not regress if he's pitching to his strengths.
Statistically, Soto (186 wRC+) and Judge (211 wRC+) are the two best hitters in baseball, and they hit second and third in the Yankees order. Two MVP-caliber bats and Giancarlo Stanton protecting them in the cleanup spot is an arduous task for the opposition.
The Yankees' winning path includes getting some production from the bottom of the order. Somebody has to help out the big boppers. Whether it's DJ LeMahieu (who looks washed), Gleyber Torres (who missed yesterday's game with an injury), or Ben Rice (who just debuted this week), pushing in base runners is key, and the bases should be occupied often.
Morton can lose the zone at times (28th percentile in BB rate) and the Yankees boast the highest walk rate in baseball. I'd expect the Bronx Bombers' plate patience to pay dividends by making Morton exit early. That leads way to the Braves' medical bullpen, where options appear murky besides closer Raisel Iglesias.
I likely stay away from the Bronx Bombers if Yoendrys Gomez didn't soak up almost five scoreless innings in relief of Carlos Rodón. The Yankees received seven innings from their starters the past two days, and the bullpen can now reset. It's a bullpen that's been among the worst in baseball this month, and needs Luke Weaver and Clay Holmes to pitch flawless innings late.
Anthony Volpe to Score a Run (-155)
Anthony Volpe has been the leadoff bat for the Yankees, setting the table for Soto, Judge and Stanton. What comes with hitting ahead of those guys is plenty of run-scoring chances. The sophomore shortstop reached base once Saturday, via a walk allowed by Chris Sale, and promptly got caught stealing. He'll often try to swipe an extra base, so hopefully he doesn't get erased from the bases. Volpe scored a run in three of the Yankees' past five games, and should have a chance for another run thanks to his ability to slap the ball around to right field for hits and a strong eye leading to walks.
Volpe has already scored 54 runs this year, ranking top 10 in baseball. This feels like a terrific final leg of this Yankees-centric SGP on Saturday night.
