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A week after the All-Star Break in 2005, the Houston Astros were swept in St. Louis. The loss dropped them two under .500 and for all intents and purposes, left them dead in the water. Some fourteen weeks later, they’d shock the baseball world, appearing in their first World Series.     

Tim Purpura was at the helm as GM and sat down for an extensive interview with The Crawfish Boxes.     

Andy & Roger in 2005. What did they bring to the clubhouse each day?     

They brought legitimacy to Houston baseball.   They were great teammates, and set the standard in different ways.  As you know, we signed Andy first to help us win games in the post-season. 

But we hoped he would also help us develop some of our good young pitchers (Oswalt, Lidge, etc.)  He was the guy to who was teaching the young pitchers mound presence, hyped up their competitiveness, etc.   It seemed like whenever I saw Andy in the clubhouse or dugout, he always had a young pitcher by his side.

Roger brought a competitiveness that we never had in recent times. Roger was also ultimately prepared.  During spring training in 2005, the head groundskeeper came running into my office from the pouring rain to tell me that the crew couldn’t get Roger off one of the mounds.  Afraid that he might get hurt, I ran down there to talk to him.  When I got outside (in the rain) I asked him if he could bring it inside and finish his bullpen on an indoor mound. After I made my request he said, “but Boss, when else am I going to be able to practice throwing from the mound in the rain.”

When he first came on board, on Opening Day, he had hundreds of Under Armor fleece sweatshirts with his personal logo and his number 22 embroidered.  He had the clubhouse team distribute them not only to the players, but every single full-time employee at Minute Maid Park. He’s a very thoughtful person.

How tough is it to deal away aging vets and stars when the organization and fans have such an attachment?  The Astros recently have endured that with the Tucker, Bregman departures.   

Unfortunately, we didn’t do a good job doing that.  Our fans, our owner, etc. put a great deal of pressure on us to stay the course, particularly after the World Series in 05.

I believe that the budgets for free agents, player development, and scouting as well as foreign signings and operations must be robust enough to be able to create the next star players to satisfy.

Have you ever seen anything like Ohtani? 

Generational talent. In a word: No. 

The ones that are high on the list for me are Barry Bonds, Nolan Ryan, and. Roger Clemens. I still cannot believe that Nolan never won a Cy Young Award, let alone multiple awards.  Nolan started the movement towards weight training which was the match that set Major League teams starting strength and conditioning  programs. 

As for Ohtani,  I would pay to see him. When he came into the League with the Angels, my daughter and I would always try the see him in Arlington, when the club was in town.  He can do it all and has already.   

What’s a typical day life now for you?

Busy…for the recent year or so I have been developing a negotiation, mediation and arbitration practice. 

Purpura Mediation | Sports & Business Mediation & Arbitration  Think NIL issues.     

Even though Purpura’s tenure as GM was brief, his impact was historic, delivering the first pennant in franchise history.      

Ask Jerry Dipoto in Seattle or A.J. Preller in San Diego if they wouldn’t change places.    In combination, they’ve been working as GM’s for a combined twenty five years and are still chasing a Series appearance.   

LOS ANGELES — Spring training was a disaster for Roki Sasaki, but the Dodgers are showing incredible faith in the phenom to find some semblance of command once the games count for real.

In three of his four Cactus League starts, Sasaki was removed in the middle of an inning that got away from him, earlier than his originally planned length, then re-entered the game to open the next inning, which is allowed during spring training. Prior to Monday night’s start at Dodger Stadium against the Angels, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts talked about expectations for Sasaki, who will start the Dodgers’ fourth game of the season, next Monday against the Cleveland Guardians at home.

“Tonight we need to see him in compete mode. There’s a time to work on your mechanics, and a time to go out and compete,” Roberts said. “Once the game starts, it’s about getting hitters out, because this is his last tuneup for the fourth game of the regular season. And he’s got to be ready to go.

“You’re not always going to feel perfect, physically, mentally, emotionally, whatever it is. But certainly for a starting pitcher, when it’s your day, you still got to find a way to take down a good amount of outs.”

Sasaki had his worst command to date against the Angels, and was removed five batters into the first inning with no outs. In fairness, one of those was a groundball that should have been an out, but Miguel Rojas threw errantly to second base. And it didn’t get much better once Sasaki resumed pitching in the second inning.

The only target Sasaki consistently hit on Monday was Angels shortstop Zach Neto, clipped on the right elbow on a 3-0 pitch the first inning and plunked by an errant 0-2 splitter in the second. Sasaki walked six Angels and struck out two.

“The results weren’t good today,” Sasaki said through his interpreter. “My mechanics were a little off, but I’ll keep improving.”

His spring training stats are gruesome. Sasaki threw more balls (110) than strikes (108), and half of his batters faced reached base by hit (nine), walk (15), or hit by pitch (two). All that to complete 8 2/3 innings, during which he allowed 15 runs.

Sasaki this spring has been trying to add a new pitch to his repertoire, classified as a cutter at Baseball Savant. But he mostly scrapped the pitch on Monday, throwing the cutter only six times in his 66 pitches, and still had a devil of a time against the Angels with mostly his fastball and splitter.

Roberts after the game reiterated that Sasaki would start Monday against Cleveland, and will be in the rotation to open the season.

“He’s got to go out there and attack hitters. It’s just one of those things that it’s tough to pitch when you’re working behind in counts, running deep counts, and getting your pitch count up there,” Roberts said. “If it’s mechanical, if it’s mental, if it’s emotional, all that we’ve got to sift through and find some clarity when he takes the mound. Because at the end of the day, he’s got to get outs.

“We’re still trying to learn and get better, and acclimate. I believe in him, I really do. I told him that in the dugout. For me, I’m going to keep pouring into him like our staff is, and expect it to get better.”

The Dodgers made a long-term investment into Sasaki, the most coveted pitcher in baseball last offseason who is still only 24 years old. Ideally he’s going to be around for at least five more years, and they are calculating that it’s worth a little short-term rough patch now, dealing with these growing pains to potentially reap a considerable payoff in the long run.

Left unspoken is that the Dodgers’ competition in the National League West is not as robust in 2026 as it has been in recent seasons, and it would probably take a disaster for them to not win the division. They’re willing to see it through with Sasaki, even if the early cost is being behind in his starts.

We’ll see how long that rope lasts, however. It’s one thing to struggle in games that don’t count. Going forward, the stakes are real, and the Dodgers are hoping Sasaki will finally turn a corner.

“We’re going to run him out there. I don’t think that for me, to put my head in a space that there’s another alternative right now, that’s not helpful. I don’t think so,” Roberts said. “I think that we’re gonna support him as much as we can, and then give him some runway, and then, once the season starts, then you gotta it’s about production.”

Well it’s here: the last game of Spring Training, as the Braves open their regular season on Friday in Atlanta against Kansas City. Grant Holmes gets his final spring tune-up, wrapping up what has been a strong and healthy spring for Grant. There was much concern about his health, given that he was shut down for a partial UCL tear last season and opted for the rest and rehab route for recover that has yielded mixed results in the past across baseball. He has not only been healthy, but has yet to allow a run and has struck out a bunch of batters this spring.

The Braves will be rolling with what could easily be an Opening Day lineup, as Ronald Acuna leads off, followed by Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson.

That Braves lineup will face Ryan Pepiot, a solid #4-quality starter for the Rays. The Rays are also running out a number of MLB regulars in their lineup, so this game should resemble major league level competition for most of the game.

Join us and discuss the game in the comments below!

Game Notes

Time: 12:05 EDT

TV: ATL Video, MLBTV

Radio: ESPN 103.7/WIFN 1340

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Parlays and same-game parlays in particular are more popular than ever among sports bettors, and with so many baseball games to wager on every single day in a season that stretches from March to October, the MLB and parlays are a perfect pairing.

Combining multiple baseball bets together means a bigger profit, but with that comes a bigger risk. If you are new to baseball betting and making MLB picks, we help you learn how to wager on baseball parlays the smart way. 

What is a baseball parlay bet?

A baseball parlay bet ties two or more wagers together and places one single stake for an increased payout. The more bets added to the parlay, the larger the potential profit. However, all the selections (called legs) included in the parlay must be correct for the overall parlay to win. Even if three of the four bets included in the parlay win and one loses, the entire parlay is a loss.

Parlays promise larger payouts due to the high risk involved. The more bets added to the baseball parlay, the greater the risk. Because of all those variables, parlays have a much lower win probability than single baseball bets.

While they are a fun way to wager, they are not a sustainable long-term betting strategy due to their high risk/low probability.

Baseball same-game parlays

Baseball same-game parlays have become increasingly popular recently, with sportsbooks offering parlays on odds markets from a single game. 

The example below is a three-leg, same-game parlay from a matchup between the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. The parlay includes a bet on the Yankees moneyline (to win outright) at +120 odds, a bet on the Under 7.5 runs at -110 odds, and a player prop on Kevin Gausman to record Over 17.5 outs at -145 odds.

Tying all three bets together in a baseball same-game parlay increases the odds to +610. A $100 stake on this parlay would payout $710 ($610 in winnings + $100 original stake). All three bets must be correct for the parlay to win.

Moneyline: New York Yankees (+120) @ Toronto Blue Jays
Total: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays Under 7.5 (-110)
Player Prop: Kevin Gausman Over 17.5 outs recorded (-145)
Parlay	+610
Stake	$100
Total Return (Including Stake)	$710

Baseball multi-game parlays

Baseball multi-game parlays are the most common method of wagering on parlays, tying together bets from different MLB games.

The example below is a two-game baseball parlay, including a bet on the Yankees moneyline at +120 and the Los Angeles Dodgers moneyline at -135.

By themselves as single bets, these bets would return $220 and $174, respectively, on $100 stakes ($394 total return on $200 in stakes), but the result of one does not impact the other (one could lose and the other could win and pay out). 

As a multi-game baseball parlay, however, combining the two bets into one parlay generates odds of +282, and a single $100 stake can return $382 ($282 in winnings + $100 original stake).

New York Yankees (+120) @ Toronto Blue Jays
San Francisco Giants @ Los Angeles Dodgers (-135)
Parlay	+282
Stake	$100
Total Return (Including Stake)	$382

MLB parlay betting tips

Baseball parlay betting is a great way to break up a long season and also capitalize on what you see as your best bets for that day’s games. Here are some MLB parlay betting tips to follow all season long: 

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The 2026 Major League Baseball season will reportedly begin tomorrow, March 25th, when the San Francisco Giants take on the New York Yankees in the hallowed grounds of the Bronx. (We all know the season doesn’t really begin until the next day when the Cincinnati Reds play host to the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park, but we’ll let that slide for the time being.)

That means we’re about to engage upon six-plus months of some serious baseball, and we’re going to see plenty of remarkable things along the way. Some will be predictable – Jose Ramirez, per usual – and some will come completely out of nowhere. There will be amazing plays, incredible streaks, and plenty of dumbness for all to enjoy.

With the looming 162 game grind in mind, here are Five Dumb Predictions for the 2026 MLB season.

Shohei Ohtani wins the NL Cy Young Award

It’s going to happen, right?

The greatest baseball talent the world has ever seen has done pretty much every single thing ever already, and the rewards for such prowess have stacked up, too. He’s been a Rookie of the Year. He’s been named MVP four times (including in both leagues). He’s been an All Star five times, a World Series winner twice, the NLCS MVP. He’s led the league in homers (twice), triples once, arby-eyes once, and even swiped 59 bags in a single season (while only being thrown out four times).

He’s done it all offensively, enough to make his 16.1 career bWAR from the mound seem almost an afterthought. Perhaps that’s because so much of what he’s done offensively came as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, something that sounds as ridiculous as it is. All he’s done on the mound lately is pitch to an absurd 6.89 K/BB, 2.87 ERA, and 1.90 FIP in 47.0 IP in 2025 after not pitching at all in 2024, but you don’t have to go too far back to see his 4th place finish in the 2022 AL Cy Young Award, either.

I think the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar is going to look around and realize that his club needs him this year, more than ever, as their ace, and in typical Ohtani fashion I think he rises to that occasion. Yeah, he’s still going to hit the crap out of the ball, but maybe he just won’t run and slide so much. On the bump, though, I see a return to a more full season of work, and topping 150 IP with scintillating peripherals will win him the award that will truly cement his legacy as the greatest overall player of all time.

Ronald Acuña wins his 2nd NL MVP

Acuña’s 2023 win of the award came as he led all of Major League Baseball in hits (217), steals (73), OBP (.416), and total bases (383), the superstar ripping off an absurd .337/.416/.596 line in 159 games. He swatted 41 homers to fabricate the 40/70 club, but a torn ACL set him back significantly the very next year.

In 2025, we saw the Acuña at the plate we’re accustomed to seeing, as he hit .290/.417/.518 when healthy, though he didn’t stay perfectly healthy all year (and barely ran when he did). In 2026, though, I think we get the full package back once again, and that’s going to be electric enough for him to claim this award for the second time.

It may seem like he’s been around forever already, but he just turned 28 years old in December. He’s almost two weeks younger than Spencer Steer, for reference. Yeah, there’s an infinite amount left in his tank, and he’s going to show it again in 2026.

Wyatt Langford leads the AL in dingers

Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford is going to finish the 2026 season with more dingers than anyone else in the American League. Not Aaron Judge, not Cal Raleigh, Wyatt Langford – the 24 year old with 38 career homers under his belt.

Big time breakout year for this guy incoming. I’m going to say he ends up with 46, and that does the trick.

Buy, buy, buy while you can!

5+ WAR season, 35+ homers for Seattle’s Randy Arozarena

Contract years are incredible catalysts in a sport that hands out quarter-billion dollar contracts like hotcakes. So, when a player who’s shown consistent ability to be among the league’s elite at multiple skills reaches one, it’s hard not to think there’s going to be an effort to align the stars into a career year.

That’s not to imply that Arozarena has done anything other than give his absolute best throughout his rock solid career to-date. It’s just an acknowledgement that players, particularly when they reach their age-31 season at the very same time, surely know when they’ve got a platform year in front of them (see: Kyle Schwarber last year).

Randy’s got a chance to jump to the top of the free agent class with a year like that in 2026, and I think he will rise to the occasion because of it. He’ll top the 27 dingers that sits as his career high to date (established just last season), and another 30+ steal season with perhaps some better defense would vault him firmly into 5+ WAR territory.

I think he does it!

The Boston Red Sox win the 2026 World Series

Reds fans are going to get the first taste of just how filthy Garrett Crochet is going to be this season when he takes the mound in GABP on Thursday for Opening Day. Boston’s resident ace is poised to show his first season in Boston – a brilliant one in 2025 after coming over from the White Sox – was just the tip of the iceberg, and I think he leads a revamped pitching staff to the upper echelon of the league.

With the bats, though, it’s Roman Anthony who takes a giant step forward in 2026, and I think the Willson Contreras addition has gone completely under the radar – he’s going to beat the crap out of the green monster all year long. It’s a lineup that’s deep and versatile, and I think it’s on the cusp of taking completely off.

Not to mention that it just seems very Red Socky for them to jump up and seize a title in a year where the Dodgers and Yankees sit atop most every projection system – that’s just their style.