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 (7/31)
Season Record: 33-19
Freddie Freeman Over 0.5 Hits (-170 at Kalshi)
Freddie Freeman has been on fire over his last seven games, batting .551 with five multi-hit games. Freeman would be a strong play even without a plus pitcher matchup, but he has just that tonight against Ranger Suarez. The Dodgers slugger is .375 lifetime over 16 at-bats against the left-handed pitcher.
Suarez has had a strong season to this point and will toe the rubber with a 3.05 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Ranger has been good enough that we shied away from Mookie Betts, despite having even better numbers against the Red Sox pitcher and collecting at least one hit in four of his last five contests. Freeman, however, has been hot enough to roll with regardless of who is on the mound that day. It being Suarez is just a plus. Fire up the Over on Freeman for Friday night at Kalshi. Lock this one as soon as possible, as this juicer is much too low to not rise significantly by opening pitch.
Jose Altuve Over 0.5 Hits (-150 at Fanatics Sportsbook)
Jose Altuve has had his struggles this season. He comes into this evening batting just .234 on the season, but is heating up with two hits in each of his last two games. He made his way into today's column thanks to a plus matchup against Nathan Eovaldi, a pitcher he has a .381 lifetime average against over 42 at-bats. Altuve has nine extra base hits against Eovaldi, with seven home runs.
Nathan Eovaldi has been inconsistent this season. His record is solid at 10-8, but he has a bloated 4.05 ERA, albeit with a solid 1.17 WHIP. Eovaldi was excellent against the Astros earlier this season, going seven innings and striking out eight. Altuve did not play in that game, but his performance is notable nonetheless. The juice is a little higher on this one than we would like, but the matchup remains a plus one worth considering. Jab the Over on Jose Altuve for Friday night at Fanatics Sportsbook.
Paul Skenes Over 6.5 Strikeouts (-257 at Kalshi)
Paul Skenes has been inconsistent this season. He will hit the mound with a disappointing 3.65 ERA, but pairs it with a pristine 1.06 WHIP and 11.1 K/9. However, he has a much more telling 2.79 FIP and 2.84 xERA. Skenes has dominated the Reds through seven starts, carrying a 5-0 record with just a 1.38 ERA.
Cincinnati leads the Majors in strikeouts at 9.50 per game. Over 6.5 has hit in 80 percent of Skenes' starts this season, making the extra juice on the alt line worth the squeeze. As usual, keep this to a one unit play, as opposed to chasing the unit return. Slap the Over on Skenes for Friday night's MLB action at Kalshi.
Raju Byfield is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Raju, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyContext.