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The Rays and Orioles have been the AL East's big stories this season, but the Yankees take center stage on Friday. The Yankees (54-48) are last in the East and take on the first-place Orioles (62-40) as part of the 15-game MLB Friday schedule. New York will have Gerrit Cole on the mound and Aaron Judge back from injury as it tries to whittle down an eight-game deficit. Tampa (62-43) plays in one of the night's other notable matchups, and it sits 1.5 games behind Baltimore in the East. It is in Houston to start a three-game series with the Astros, who are two games behind the Rangers in the AL West.

First pitch for Yankees vs. Orioles is set for 7:05 p.m. ET at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Yankees are -130 favorites (risk $130 to win $100), while Baltimore is priced at +110 in the latest Caesars Sportsbook MLB odds. The over-under for total runs scored is 8.5. The Friday MLB schedule offers many possibilities for wagers, and if you combine your favorite picks into a parlay, you can cash in big. Before locking in any MLB picks or parlays for Friday's games, be sure to check out the MLB predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It went 331-285 on top-rated MLB money-line picks (+357) over the past two seasons. It entered Week 18 of the 2023 MLB season 48-36 (+192) on all top-rated MLB picks this season and has excelled on top-rated run-line picks, going 11-2 (+604). Anybody following has seen big returns.

For Friday, the model has locked in four confident MLB best bets for games that begin at 7:05 p.m. ET or later. If you successfully parlay the picks, you'd be looking at a payout of almost 8-1. You can only see the model's MLB picks at SportsLine. 

Top MLB picks today

The Yankees are one of the plays for the Friday night parlay, with the model backing them at -130 to beat the Orioles. Cole is 9-2 with a 2.78 ERA, going 3-1 with a 2.59 mark in road games. He is the +160 favorite at Caesars to win the AL Cy Young, ahead of Tampa Bay's Shane McClanahan (+400). The Orioles are going with rookie right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, who has struggled, especially at home. He 1-2 with a 9.11 ERA in six starts at Camden Yards.

Baltimore's young right-hander could be intimidated in his first start against the Yankees, especially with Judge back in the mix. The reigning AL MVP has 19 homers and 40 RBI despite playing only 49 of the 102 games. Gleyber Torres has 16 homers and a team-best .264 batting average, and Anthony Volpe (13 homers), Giancarlo Stanton (13) and Anthony Rizzo (12) also can crush the ball. The Yankees will be out to make a statement in an important game Friday night. See the model's top MLB picks here.

How to make Friday MLB parlays

The model has locked in three other best bets for Friday, including two confident plays on run-line underdogs. These picks can help you earn a huge payday if you combine them in a parlay. You can see the model's MLB best bets and parlay only at SportsLine.

What MLB picks should you target for a payout of almost 8-1, and which other underdogs does the model like on Friday? Visit SportsLine now to see the MLB best bets from an advanced model that is on an 11-2 roll on top-rated run-line picks, and find out.