The Dodgers and Brewers are back at American Family Field on Monday night for Game 2 of the NLCS, and this one carries a little urgency for Los Angeles. Milwaukee grabbed Game 1 by a 2-1 final, which means the Dodgers need their ace to show up in a hurry. Good news for them: Yoshinobu Yamamoto is on the mound, and he’s made a habit of bailing this team out in exactly this spot.
If you’re new to same game parlays, this is a great matchup to learn on. An SGP just means combining multiple bets from one single game into one ticket — if every leg hits, the whole thing cashes, and the combined payout is bigger than betting each piece separately. We’re building a simple, beginner-friendly 3-leg parlay around the guy starting on the mound, the guy anchoring the Dodgers lineup, and the final score.
Leg 1: Yoshinobu Yamamoto Over 6.5 Strikeouts
Yamamoto is drawing a strikeout line of 6.5 for Game 2, and the matchup sets up well for him to clear it. He posted a 2.53 ERA with 182 strikeouts across his regular season starts and has carried a 1.29 ERA into this postseason, showing no signs of slowing down. He’s thrown at least six innings in six of his last seven playoff starts, which is the kind of workload that comes with racking up strikeouts along the way.
There’s also a bit of history working in his favor here. Yamamoto started Game 2 of the NLCS against this exact Brewers team last October and delivered the first complete game of his career, striking out hitters at a high clip in a 5-1 win that flipped that series for good. He’s on the mound in the same spot again, and Milwaukee’s lineup hasn’t shown it can consistently handle his splitter-heavy approach in the biggest moments.
Leg 2: Freddie Freeman to Record a Hit
Freddie Freeman gives this parlay a lineup piece that doesn’t rely on power, just barrels and bat-to-ball skill — which makes it a lower-variance leg for beginners. Freeman hit 16 home runs this season with a .430 slugging percentage, and while Game 1 was a frustrating night at the plate (he hit into a bases-loaded double play that swung the game toward Milwaukee), that kind of quiet performance from a hitter of his caliber tends to be the exception, not the rule.
Facing a rookie right-hander in Logan Henderson who’s never pitched in a moment like this, Freeman’s postseason experience is a real advantage. He’s one of the most consistent contact hitters in the league, and betting him to simply get a hit — rather than betting on a home run or extra bases — keeps this leg grounded in the stuff he does every single day.
Leg 3: Dodgers Moneyline
The Dodgers are favored at American Family Field, with the moneyline sitting right around -126 to -136 depending on the book. That’s not an overwhelming favorite, but it reflects a Dodgers team that’s simply the stronger roster on paper, now throwing its best starter with its back against the wall after dropping the opener.
Los Angeles has shown before it responds well in these exact circumstances, and manager Dave Roberts said as much after Game 1, pointing to his team’s belief in its ability to prevent runs with Yamamoto on the bump. A road team getting its ace going in a tied series, needing a response, is a profile worth trusting here.
The Full Parlay
Put it together: Yoshinobu Yamamoto over 6.5 strikeouts, Freddie Freeman to record a hit, and the Dodgers on the moneyline. Each leg stands on its own — a dominant starter who’s been here before, a star hitter facing a rookie for the first time, and the better team getting a much-needed road win to even the series. None of the three legs require a specific final score or a home run to hit, which is exactly why this is a good starting point if you’re still learning how SGPs work. Check your sportsbook or our live MLB odds page for the latest leg pricing before you lock in the ticket, since numbers can shift closer to first pitch.
