MLB Player Props
Unfortunately, last night was another rough one. Yusei Kikuchi put on a good performance and was able to get through six innings despite it not looking too good after the fifth. Then there was Mitch Garver turning into Mike Piazza at the plate last night. Lance Lynn was dealing and only allowed two hits before the game was delayed until today due to awful weather. A 1-2 slip was not what I had in mind, but that is how it ended up playing out.
There was a small glimmer of hope, but unfortunate circumstances came into play. Luckily, we move to today and pick the best three props on the board. Here are the three best props for today.
Michael King Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-130)
Michael King was one of the players that the San Diego Padres acquired in the Juan Soto trade this past off-season. The Yankees used King as a reliever for most of his tenure there but transitioned him to a starter role in the latter half of last season. Now he is a full-blown starter with the Padres with mixed results.
He is sporting a 4.31 ERA with a combination of some good starts and some bad ones as well. The one consistent thing is his strikeouts. He is in the top 20 of strikeouts this season and has a good matchup to generate even more.
The Cincinnati Reds are an organization with a bright future. They have an immense amount of young talent. However, they are going to strike out a lot. The Reds are in the top 10 in hitting strikeouts and the top five in hitting K%. King is in the 69th and 71st percentile in both whiff% and K%, respectively.
King can have a bad showing at any given moment, but he can put together a great one. The Reds are prone to whiffs and that is where King thrives. His over 5.5 strikeouts is the play.
Taijuan Walker Under 4.5 Strikeouts (-160)
The Philadelphia Phillies are the best team in baseball at the moment. They are hitting the ball at will while having a top-tier pitching staff. They are just clicking on all cylinders. One player they need to join this well-oiled machine is Taijuan Walker.
Walker was one of their big free-agent signings two years ago. However, he has been up-and-down including this season. He battled a shoulder injury that sidelined him at the beginning of the season. Now he is healthy but is dealing with some issues.
Today Walker faces the defending champion Texas Rangers, who are 2-8 in their last 10. Despite the struggles of the Rangers, they can still put it together offensively at any given moment. Walker is not a strikeout pitcher in reality, which is why I like this under. Walker has not hit this over in his four starts this season. Furthermore, the Rangers are 22nd in K%. They are just a well-equipped squad to not whiff at pitches and put the bat on the ball.
Walker can have a decent game, but I do not think it will translate to strikeouts regardless of the performance. The under is a must-play today and might be the best prop on the board.
Freddy Peralta Over 17.5 Outs (-155)
The Milwaukee Brewers currently hold the top spot in the NL Central, which is a surprise to some. They lost Brandon Woodruff for the entirety of this season due to shoulder surgery and moved Corbin Burnes in the off-season. This made Freddy Peralta the unquestionable ace of the team. Even with the team’s success, Peralta has not been as great as a lot of us expected. He is posting a 4.17 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. Peralta could be a lot better and I think that starts today.
The Brewers face the Miami Marlins, who have been playing decent baseball for the first time all season, as they are 6-4 in their last 10. However, they are in the bottom half in most offensive categories in the league. This is the perfect spot for Peralta to have a get-right performance.
Peralta is supposed to be the guy in this Brewers rotation. He needs to put it together to give the Brewers some hope for a potential deep playoff run. I think today is the start of a Cy Young type of season.
There are five day games for May 22nd’s MLB slate, led off by the Twins and Nationals. Right after that, the Mets are on the road to face the Guardians. Some other marquee matchups are the Rangers and Phillies facing off in Philadelphia as well as the Diamondbacks and Dodgers, which is the final game of the day.
Moneyline Plays
Los Angeles Angels vs. Houston Astros
Angels (+156) – Astros (-188) | O/U 9.0
On the moneyline, the Astros are the heavy favorite at -188, while the Angels are sitting at +156. The over/under line for the game is at 9 runs. The Angels are 19-30 overall and trail the Mariners by eight games for the division lead. As for the Astros, they are 22-27 and are five games behind the Mariners.
Mike Trout and Taylor Ward are tied for the team lead in homers for the Angels, with 10 apiece. Overall, the Angels are 14th in scoring and have a team batting average of .246. The Astros are the top hitting team in the league, with a team batting average of .265. Kyle Tucker leads the MLB with 17 homers, and Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve are both tied for 8th with nine homers.
Left-hander Tyler Anderson is 4-4 with an ERA of 2.72 and has a batting average against of .185. He will be facing an Astros lineup that is averaging 4.7 runs per game. As for the Astros starter, Hunter Brown, he is 1-4 with an ERA of 7.71. Brown has made just one quality start and is averaging 9.88 strikeouts per nine innings.
Los Angeles Angels ML +156
Colorado Rockies vs. Oakland Athletics
Rockies (+110) – Athletics (-131) | O/U 8.0
The Rockies are starting Austin Gomber, who has a 1-2 record and an ERA of 3.02 across nine starts. He is coming off a strong outing against the Padres, where he didn’t allow a run in six innings. Gomber has been slightly better on the road, with an ERA of 3.19 compared to 3.16 at home. He will be facing an Athletics offense that is 28th in scoring and hitting .220 as a team. However, they do have the 4th most homers in the league. The Rockies offense is 23rd in scoring and has the 24th worst strikeout rate in the league.
Ryan McMahon is hitting .305 for the Rockies and is 15th in the league with 27 RBIs. Ezequiel Tovar is 12/36 with four homers over his last eight games. Brent Rooker is 6th in the league with 11 homers and is hitting .288 for the Athletics. Abraham Toro is 7/24 in his last six games with one homer and is hitting .294 for the season.
First pitch for this game is set for 9:40 PM ET from Oakland Coliseum. The Rockies are 15-32, and the Athletics are 20-30. Oakland is 5th in the AL West and trail the Mariners by 7.5 games. The Rockies are 16 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. Mitch Spence is starting for the Athletics, and he is 3-2 with a 3.90 ERA. Spence is coming off a loss and gave up one earned run in 4 2/3 innings. Colorado is the slight underdog for this game, with their odds at +110, while the Athletics are -131.
Colorado Rockies ML +110
San Diego Padres vs. Cincinnati Reds
Padres (-129) – Reds (+108) | O/U 9.5
San Diego is 25-26 overall and are 8.0 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. The Padres are 12-13 vs. the NL West and have gone 15-10 on the road. They are 5-4 as the road favorite and 14-15 overall as the favorite. The Reds are 20-28 and trail the Brewers by eight games in the NL Central. They have gone 10-13 at home and 10-15 on the road. Cincinnati is 3-4 as the underdog at home and 10-18 overall as the underdog.
Michael King is 3-4 with a 4.31 ERA for the Padres and has a WHIP of 1.36. He is coming off a loss in his last outing and has four quality starts this season. King is averaging 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. The Reds are starting Nick Martinez, who is 1-2 with a 4.23 ERA. He is also 10-10 in his career as the favorite.
San Diego’s offense is 5th in batting average and 6th in on-base percentage. They are also near the top of the league in home runs. Jake Cronenworth and Fernando Tatis Jr. are tied for the team lead in homers with 8. Jurickson Profar is 10/23 in his last six games and has a 10-game hitting streak. He has seven homers and 31 RBIs this season. The Reds are hitting just .216 as a team, which is the worst mark in the majors.
First pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET, and the Padres are the road favorite. The over/under line is at 9.5 runs.
Cincinnati Reds ML +108
San Francisco Giants vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Giants (+101) – Pirates (-121) | O/U 7.5
The Pirates are the favorite for Wednesday’s game vs. the Giants, with the moneyline odds sitting at -121 for Pittsburgh and +101 for the Giants. The over/under line is currently at 7.5 runs. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 PM ET from PNC Park.
Blake Snell is 0-3 this season and has yet to get through five innings in any of his starts. He is coming off a start where he went 4 2/3 innings and gave up five runs. Snell will be facing a Pirates lineup that is led by Andrew McCutchen, who is hitting .344 over his last eight games and has two homers. For the season, McCutchen is hitting just .223.
Thairo Estrada is 1st on the Giants with 29 RBIs and eight homers, while Michael Conforto is hitting .280 and has gone deep seven times. The Giants are 8th in team batting average and are averaging 4.1 runs per game.
Jared Jones is 3-4 this season with a 2.89 ERA and a WHIP of .91. He will be facing a Giants lineup that has Matt Chapman hitting .243 overall and 3rd on the team in homers and RBIs. Over his last 10 games, Chapman is 14/38 with two homers. The Pirates are 23-26 overall and are 5.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. They are 7-7 in divisional games and have won two straight games.
San Francisco Giants ML +101
Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals
Tigers (-119) – Royals (-101) | O/U 7.5
Wednesday’s Tigers vs. Royals game is set to get underway at 2:10 PM ET from Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. The Royals are favored on the moneyline (-101), and the over/under line is at 7.5 runs. Detroit is 23-25, and the Royals are 31-19, which has them second in the AL Central. The Tigers are 8.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead.
Salvador Perez has been on a tear of late for the Royals, hitting .421 over his last 10 games and .343 for the season. He also leads the team with nine homers and is 4th in the league with 39 RBIs. Bobby Witt Jr. has also been swinging a hot bat, going 11/39 over his last 10 games and is hitting .304 for the year.
Riley Greene has nine homers for the Tigers, which is 8th in the league, and Kerry Carpenter is right behind him with six homers. Carpenter is also hitting .276 and leads the team with 25 RBIs. Overall, the Tigers are 18th in scoring and are hitting just .233 as a team.
On the mound, the Tigers will be sending out Tarik Skubal, who is 6-0 with an ERA of 1.80. He has made seven quality starts this year and is coming off a game in which he didn’t allow a run. Skubal’s ERA on the road is 0.75 compared to 2.53 at home. The Royals will counter with Cole Ragans, who is 3-3 with an ERA of 3.70. He has one complete game shutout and six quality starts this year.
Kansas City Royals ML -101
Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Red Sox (+105) – Rays (-125) | O/U 7.5
Brayan Bello is starting for the Red Sox, and he is 4-2 this season with a 3.96 ERA. His WHIP is currently 1.13. Bello will be looking to get some run support from a Red Sox offense that is 9th in homers and averaging 4.4 runs per game. The Rays are currently favored, with their moneyline sitting at -125 compared to the Red Sox at +105.
Isaac Paredes has been a bright spot for the Rays this year, as he is hitting .314 and has gone 8/20 over his last six games. Overall, the Rays are 21st in scoring at 4 runs per game and have the 19th most homers in the league. The over/under line for Wednesday’s game is currently 7.5 runs.
Rafael Devers has been swinging a hot bat for the Red Sox, going 10/36 with six homers over his last nine games. Overall, he is 2nd on the team with 23 RBIs. Devers and the Red Sox offense will be facing Ryan Pepiot, who is 3-2 with a 3.68 ERA and has a WHIP of .93. So far, he is averaging 10.06 strikeouts per nine innings. Pepiot’s last outing was a no-decision, as he went two innings and gave up three earned runs.
First pitch for Wednesday’s game is set for 6:50 PM ET, and the Red Sox are currently 25-24, which is 7.5 games behind the Yankees in the AL East. The Rays are 25-25 and trail the Yankees by eight games. Boston is 3-6 in divisional matchups, while the Rays are 9-10. The Red Sox have taken the first two games of this series.
Tampa Bay Rays ML -125
New York Mets vs. Cleveland Guardians
Mets (+110) – Guardians (-131) | O/U 9.0
On Wednesday, the Mets and Guardians are set to face off in an interleague matchup, with the Guardians favored on the moneyline at -131. The over/under line for this game is at 9 runs. First pitch is set for 1:10 PM ET from Progressive Field. The Mets are currently 21-27 and 4th in the NL East, while the Guardians are 32-17 and have won five straight games.
Jose Quintana is starting for the Mets, and he is 1-4 with a 5.21 ERA. Quintana is also coming off a no-decision in his last outing. Triston McKenzie is starting for the Guardians and has a record of 2-3 with a 3.23 ERA. So far, he has three quality starts. McKenzie will be facing a Mets offense that is 17th in scoring and is hitting .237 as a team.
Brandon Nimmo has been swinging a hot bat for the Mets of late, going 4/16 with five runs and a homer in his last four games. For the season, he is hitting just .218. Pete Alonso is hitting .235 and leads the team with 10 homers. The Guardians are 5th in scoring and are 10th in homers. Jose Ramirez is tied for the team lead with 12 homers and leads the league with 44 RBIs.
Cleveland Guardians ML -131
Minnesota Twins vs. Washington Nationals
Twins (-135) – Nationals (+113) | O/U 8.5
Minnesota is favored on the moneyline for this one and is 25-23 overall, compared to 21-26 for the Nationals. The Twins are 6.5 games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead, while the Nationals are 13 games behind the Phillies in the NL East. First pitch is set for 1:05 PM ET, and the over/under line is at 8.5 runs.
Washington has lost eight of their last 10 games and are 3-2 when favored this year. Overall, they are 18-24 as the underdog. As for the Twins, they have dropped six straight games and are 2-8 over their last 10. So far, the Nationals are 8-11 at home, and the Twins are 11-12 on the road.
Minnesota’s offense has been one of the best road teams in baseball this year, averaging 5.2 runs per game. Overall, they are 12th in scoring, at 4.5 runs per game. Ryan Jeffers has 10 homers for the Twins and leads the team with 31 RBIs. Willi Castro and Edouard Julien are both on four-game hitting streaks for the Twins.
Washington’s offense has been one of the worst in the league, as they are 21st in scoring and hitting just .225 as a team. CJ Abrams has gone deep seven times for the Nationals and is hitting .263. Jake Irvin is 2-4 for the Nationals and has an ERA of 3.91. He is coming off an outing in which he gave up four earned runs in five innings. Simeon Woods Richardson is 1-0 for the Twins and has an ERA of 2.97. He is coming off an outing in which he didn’t allow an earned run and has a .250 opponents’ batting average.
Minnesota Twins ML -135
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Miami Marlins
Brewers (-135) – Marlins (+113) | O/U 7.5
William Contreras has been swinging a hot bat for the Brewers, going 12/39 in his last nine games, including two homers and 10 RBIs. For the year, he is hitting .335 with seven homers. As for the Marlins, Bryan De La Cruz is 7/22 in his last six games, and Josh Bell is 8/26 with seven RBIs in that span. Bell leads the Marlins in RBIs this year.
On the mound for the Brewers is Freddy Peralta, who is 3-2 with a 4.17 ERA. Peralta will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Astros, where he gave up five earned runs in five innings. So far, he has four quality starts and is averaging 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings. As for the Marlins, Jesús Luzardo is 1-3 and has an ERA of 5.02. He also has a WHIP of 1.25. Luzardo will be looking to build off his last outing, where he went six innings and didn’t give up a run.
Overall, the Brewers are 3rd in the league in runs per game and 5th in homers. On the other hand, the Marlins are last in scoring, averaging just 3.8 runs per game. Milwaukee is the moneyline favorite, with their odds sitting at -135. First pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET at loanDepot Park in Miami.
Milwaukee Brewers ML -135
Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs
Braves (-138) – Cubs (+116) | O/U 9.0
Marcell Ozuna has been one of the top power hitters in the MLB this year, as his 14 homers are 3rd in the league. He also comes into the game with a 14-game hitting streak and is batting .325. The Braves are the slight moneyline favorites at -138 and are 27-18 this season. They are 10-5 against other NL East teams and trail the Phillies by six games.
Max Fried is 3-2 this year with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He will be facing a Cubs lineup that is 16th in scoring and is led by Cody Bellinger, who is hitting .255 with seven homers. He is 2nd on the Cubs in homers and RBIs. The Cubs are 27-22 and trail the Brewers by 1.5 games. They are 15-9 at home and 12-13 on the road.
First pitch is at 7:40 PM ET, and the Cubs are +116 on the moneyline. The over/under line is at 9 runs. Chicago is 15-14 as the underdog and 12-8 when favored. They are 7-6-2 in series this year and are looking to snap a two-series losing streak. The Braves are 16-8 at home and 27-15 as the favorite.
Atlanta Braves ML -138
Texas Rangers vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Rangers (+118) – Phillies (-139) | O/U 9.5
On Wednesday, the Rangers and Phillies are set to face off from Citizens Bank Park, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:40 PM ET. The Phillies are the favorite on the moneyline, with their odds sitting at -139, while the Rangers are at +118. The over/under line is currently at 9.5 runs.
Philadelphia is 35-14 this season and leads the NL East by six games over the Braves. As for the Rangers, they are 24-25 and trail the Mariners by three games in the AL West. Texas has lost two straight games and are 8-2 in their last 10 games. Looking at their series record, the Rangers are 7-7-1 this season.
Adolis Garcia is 6th in the majors with 11 homers and leads the Rangers with 35 RBIs. For the season, he is hitting .251. On the other side, Alec Bohm is hitting .333 for the Phillies and leads the majors with 44 RBIs. He is also on a seven-game hitting streak. Bryce Harper is 10/25 in his last six games, with two homers and seven RBIs.
Phillies starter Taijuan Walker is 2-0 this year and has 16 strikeouts over 12 1/3 innings. As for the Rangers, they are sending Dane Dunning to the mound, and he is 3-2 with a 4.10 ERA. Dunning has two quality starts this year and is averaging 10.37 strikeouts per nine innings.
Philadelphia Phillies ML -139
Baltimore Orioles vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Orioles (-143) – Cardinals (+120) | O/U 8.5
Adley Rutschman has been on fire for the Orioles of late, going 7/24 with four homers in his last six games. Overall, he is hitting .304 with nine homers, which is 2nd on the team and 8th in the league. Baltimore is 29-16 overall and 2nd in the AL East, while the Cardinals are 21-26 and 4th in the NL Central. The Orioles are the favorites on Wednesday, with their moneyline sitting at -143.
St. Louis is 21-26 overall and 6.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. So far, they are 1-6 against other NL Central teams. The Cardinals are 9-12 at home and 12-14 on the road. They are 12-13 as the favorite and 9-13 as the underdog. Overall, they are 7-8 in series matchups this year.
Wednesday’s over/under line is at 8.5 runs, and the Orioles are starting John Means, who is making his 4th start of the year. Means has a win in each of his first two starts and is coming off a 6-inning outing where he gave up two earned runs. Kyle Gibson is starting for the Cardinals, and he is 3-2 with a 4.09 ERA. Gibson has a WHIP of 1.27 and has five quality starts this year. He is coming off a six-inning outing where he gave up five earned runs and three homers.
Overall, the Cardinals are 24th in scoring at 3.9 runs per game, while the Orioles are 4th at 5 runs per game. Baltimore is also leading the league in homers. The Cardinals are 8th in the league in strikeouts and are hitting .232 as a team. Alec Burleson is 12/25 with two homers over his last six games, and he is hitting .480 this year. Dylan Carlson is on a three-game hitting streak for the Cardinals, and Brendan Donovan and Masyn Winn are on streaks of eight and nine games, respectively.
Baltimore Orioles ML -143
Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees
Mariners (+129) – Yankees (-154) | O/U 8.0
Seattle is currently 27-22 overall, and they are 8-6-1 in series this year. The Mariners are 6-3 in division games and have won two straight games. The Yankees are 33-17 and lead the AL East by 1.5 games over the Orioles. The Mariners are +129 on the moneyline, and the over/under line is set at 8 runs. First pitch is set for 7:05 PM ET.
Seattle’s offense has been one of the worst in the league, with an average of 3.8 runs per game. New York is the top home run hitting team in the league and are 6th in runs per game. Aaron Judge is 4th in homers this year, and Giancarlo Stanton has three homers in his last eight games. Julio Rodriguez is 13/40 in his last 10 games for the Mariners.
New York’s Nestor Cortes is 2-4 with an ERA of 3.56 and has a 1.05 WHIP. He is facing a Mariners lineup that is led by Cal Raleigh, who is 7th in homers this year. Seattle is going with Bryce Miller, who is 3-4 with an ERA of 3.08. He is coming off a loss and has an ERA of 4.31 on the road compared to 2.60 at home.
New York Yankees ML -154
Over Under Plays
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Diamondbacks (+223) – Dodgers (-275) | O/U 8.5
Arizona is currently 23-26 and trail the Dodgers by nine games in the NL West. They will be facing Tyler Glasnow, who is 6-2 with a 2.90 ERA and has a WHIP of .90. Overall, he has 81 strikeouts, which leads the league. The Diamondbacks will be sending Ryne Nelson to the mound, and he is 2-3 with a 7.06 ERA and a WHIP of 1.88. Nelson’s last time out, he gave up eight earned runs in four innings.
Arizona’s offense is led by Christian Walker and Ketel Marte, who are tied for the team lead with nine homers. Walker is also 11th in the league with 31 RBIs. The Dodgers will be looking to keep them in check, as they are 1st in the league in OPS and 2nd in batting average. Shohei Ohtani is 4th in the league with 13 homers and 8th with 34 RBIs. He is currently on a three-game hitting streak and is 13/35 (.371) over his last nine games.
Arizona is 11-16 as the underdog and 12-10 as the favorite. Overall, they are 5-9-1 in series this season. The Diamondbacks are 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Dodgers are 33-18 and lead the NL West by eight games. They are 11-8 in divisional games and have won two straight series. The over/under line for this game is currently at 8.5 runs.
Over 8.5 Runs -103
Chicago White Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays
White Sox (+192) – Blue Jays (-233) | O/U 8.5
Wednesday’s pitching matchup features Nick Nastrini for the White Sox and Chris Bassitt for the Blue Jays. Nastrini has started two games so far this season and has taken the loss in both of those outings. As for Bassitt, he is 3-6 this season with an ERA of 5.03. He is also coming off a loss to the Rays, where he gave up three earned runs over 5 2/3 innings.
So far, the White Sox are 5th in the AL Central, and they trail the Guardians by 17 games. The Blue Jays are 5th in the AL East and trail the Yankees by 10.5 games. The White Sox are 5-19 against the AL Central this year, and the Blue Jays are 7-8 in divisional games.
Chicago has lost six of their last seven games and are 4-6 over their last ten. The Blue Jays are 4-6 over their last ten and have gone 11-12 at home compared to 10-14 on the road. The White Sox are 2-0 as the favorite, and the Blue Jays are 16-13 when favored.
Chicago is hitting just .217 as a team, and they are the worst home run hitting team in the league. As a team, they are averaging just 2.9 runs per game. The Blue Jays offense is 29th in scoring and are also near the bottom of the league in home runs. However, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is hitting .405 over his last 10 games.
Over 8.5 Runs -104
