MLB Player Props & Bets: Friday (5/29)
The MLB season is in full swing. Every Friday in this column, we will seek to attack pitcher matchups. We won't bore you with exclusively under only plays, but we won't shy away from them if they offer more value than usual. Total strikeouts, outs recorded, and as the season progresses, total hits and total bases; they're all in play. Let’s dig into our top MLB player props and picks for Friday’s slate of games.
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MLB Player Props & Bets: Friday (5/29)
Season Record: 16-9
Taj Bradley Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-138 at Kalshi)
Originally slated to face the Chicago White Sox yesterday, Taj Bradley will instead bless the Friday slate with a plus pitching matchup. Bradley has been excellent this season, cruising to a 5-1 record, thanks to a 2.77 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a .216 batting average against. He has recorded 59 strikeouts in 52 innings for an elite 9.96 K/9 rate. Taj comes into this evening’s matchup with a .208 batting average against the projected Pirates starting lineup for today. Facing off a team he has been dominant against on a streak of six or more strikeouts in four consecutive games would be rationale enough for this play, but he also gets the friendly confines of PNC Park, coupled with a struggling Pittsburgh Pirates team that has the fifth-highest strikeout rate in the Majors at 9.26 per game. Tap the Over on Taj at Kalshi at -138 or at BetMGM for -150.
Ozzie Albies Over 0.5 Hits (-300 at ProphetX)
Ozzie Albies has been solid this season for the Atlanta Braves and comes into this evening’s contest with a solid .278 batting average and .772 OPS. He has cooled down considerably since his 17-game hitting streak was ended early this month, but has started to heat back up and is hitting .437 over his last four games (7-16). He has a plus matchup against the Cincinnati Reds, thanks to old foe Chris Paddack taking the mound. Albies has a .364 batting average against Paddack over 11 at-bats and is facing a pitcher who has struggled this season with an unsightly 6.86 ERA and 1.67 WHIP. This is an easy Over play on Ozzie. For those more averse to high juice, the other play (still with a high vig) is the Over on the 1.5 Hits + RBI + Runs.
Yordan Alvarez Over 0.5 Hits (-220 at theScoreBet)
Yordan Alvarez went quiet yesterday, but still comes into tonight's contest batting .400 over his last four games with five home runs, six RBI, and six runs. His recent form suggests inherent value in the Hits + RBI + Runs total, but we will still be going for the higher juice on the hits play. It still sits at 0.5, which may not last all day, so we will be taking advantage while we can. The Albies total above, for example, has moved to 1.5 hits at most books, while the Bradley total is at 6.0 or 6.5 at some books. Yordan is batting a solid .307 on the season, but comes into this contest with no head-to-head data against a pitcher in Coleman Crow with an impressive 2.61 ERA and 0.77 WHIP. His ability to limit walks is the main reason we are skittish on the Hits + RBI + Run line. However, there is some appeal for the hits total despite the juice, as Crow has an xERA of 4.01 and is facing Yordan at home, where he has hit .358 on the season. Tap the Over on Yordan for Friday night's MLB action at theScoreBet.
Raju Byfield is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Raju, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyContext.