Major League Baseball has just one game on the slate Thursday, as the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox meet for Game 4 of their American League Division Series at 8:00 p.m. ET on TBS and truTV. Below are our top MLB player props for Thursday, October 8th.
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Thursday's Best MLB Player Props
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Parker Messick 7 or Fewer Hits + Walks + Earned Runs Allowed (-148)
The All-Star rookie LHP Parker Messick takes the ball for the second time in this series. He started Game 1 against LHP Hagen Smith, Chicago’s start for Thursday night, and Messick lasted 4.1 IP with two runs allowed, four hits and two walks with six strikeouts. That was a poor start by his standards. The leash will be short, first off, so if at the first sign of trouble, manager Stephen Vogt could have a quick hook, similar to his treatment of Game 3 rookie starter RHP Daniel Espino.
However, I think Messick sticks around a while. He actually did his best work on the road this season, going 7-5 with a 2.22 ERA (93.1 IP, 23 ER) and 0.98 WHIP in 16 starts away from home, while teams hit just .198 against him, as opposed to .234 at Progressive Field.
Jo Adell Over 1.5 Total Bases (+133) & Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-108)
We’re going to go for a two-fer on Adell. The young slugger was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels at the MLB non-waiver trade deadline for moments, or games, exactly like this. Adell is a big bat who can strike out a lot. But, when he makes contact, it usually goes far.
Adell had the biggest blow in Game 3, delivering a bases-clearing three-run triple in the top of the third inning. He finished 2 for 4 with the triple, a walk and three RBI. We’ll strike while the iron is hot, as he has two triples in the series. Going Over on the total bases at plus-money is a solid play, as he can take care all both of these props with one flick of the bat.
Munetaka Murakami Over 0.5 Walks (-102) & 2+ Strikeouts (+112)
While the White Sox All-Star 1B/DH Munetaka Murakami doesn’t have a walk in three games in this series, that makes him even more attractive. He had a walk in each of his final five regular-season meetings against Cleveland pitching.
However, we’ll also take Murakami to whiff a couple of times. He is working on a streak with at least one strikeouts in all five postseason games, and 15 in a row since Sept. 17 in the regular season. He was hitless in four at-bats with three strikeouts in Game 3, and he has struck out 11 times in five postseason games, and 26 times across the past 15 outings.
Randal Grichuk 2+ Hits + Runs + RBIs (+147)
If anybody is going to give Messick trouble, it might be the journeyman veteran Grichuk. The 35-year-old is 5 for 14 (.357) with two doubles and a triple against the southpaw Messick in their brief dealings, good for a .643 slugging percentage (SLG) and 1.000 OPS.
In the regular season, Grichuk hit .327 in 165 at-bats vs. LHP, as opposed to just .220 vs. RHP.
