As we head into Memorial Day Weekend, it seems only right we shoot for something a bit bigger, don't you think? 

We're also thinking a brief break from the playoffs is in order, as we need to start flexing our baseball muscles a bit more. Take us into the weekend, won't you MLB?

Pairing a pair of arms to power a parlay prize

Those who subscribe to Bark Bets and read via email may have noticed that we've started finding some success in the strikeout prop market down in Quick Picks. If you haven't caught that, here's your introduction to our approach to the market.

Two such pitchers seem to be in very advantageous spots this evening, and we're loading them up.

Alek Manoah (Toronto) has six or more strikeouts in all three of his starts this season and now has 5+ in seven straight and 6+ in six of those seven. Today, he draws a Detroit Tigers team that is striking out at the seventh-highest rate against RHP this year. Last time Manoah saw the Tigers, he fanned eight. Kevin Gausman just tore through this lineup last night, piling up 10 strikeouts, the third righty over the past five to go for 8+ against the Tigers. 

Then there's Seth Lugo from Kansas City. Lugo is on an outrageous run on the rubber, averaging 8.8 Ks/game over his past five, racking up strikeout totals of 9-8-5-12-10. Lugo will face off against Tampa Bay, who strike out at the ninth-highest rate against right-handed pitching. Seven of the last eight starting RHP to see the Rays has 5+ Ks, and three of the last four have 6+.

Here's how we'll attack these two starters tonight:

• 1u: Manoah & Lugo 5+ strikeouts (-103 DraftKings)
• .5u: Manoah & Lugo 6+ strikeouts (+244 FanDuel)
• .25u: Manoah & Lugo 7+ strikeouts (+699 FanDuel)
• .25u: Manoah & Lugo 8+ strikeouts (+2020 FanDuel)

By all means, play each straight if you'd rather go that route. We'll take our shot on both RHP having themselves a K-fest on the mound tonight. Enjoy your long weekend, we'll see you back here on Tuesday!

In the news ...

Celtics go up 2-0 in Eastern Conference Finals — We did flag that Jaylen Brown might pop after that All-NBA snub, and pop he did, as Brown ended up with a game-high 40 points. The effort helped propel a Boston win and cover, as the Celtics took Game 2 by a score of 126-110. The series heads to Indiana but seems basically over. The Pacers are +220 home dogs to grab a win on Saturday.

Edmonton takes Game 1 in Dallas in double-OT — Connor McDavid finally scored a goal again, his third of the postseason, and it came at the perfect moment, delivering Edmonton a 3-2 double-overtime win in Dallas in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. This series is far from over, but if Stuart Skinner can stymie the scoring, and McDavid can get back to scoring some goals, this Oilers team is going to be a tough out. Currently, Edmonton is +200 to win the Stanley Cup, but we prefer backing Dallas to even up the series tomorrow at -135.

Motorsports galore this weekend — For fans of motorsports, this weekend is jam-packed with auto racing action. This writer won't pretend to be too sharp in this field, but luckily, we're surrounded by experts for any such betting event. Looking for an Indy 500 breakdown? Right here. How about to scratch your F1 fix? Check out the Monaco Grand Prix breakdown here. Hoping to catch the Coca-Cola 600 and have some bets in the pocket? We have you covered too. Whatever your speed, there's no shortage of racing bets to root on this weekend.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll. Follow him on Substack: griffybets.substack.com.