Major League Baseball has a total of nine games on the docket for Thursday, with six matinees and three in the evening window. The Washington Nationals and Texas Rangers match up at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas at 8:05 p.m. ET, and the game is available on FOX Sports 1. Below are our top MLB player props for Thursday, August 20th.
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Thursday's Top MLB Player Props
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Lane Thomas 2+ Hits + Runs + RBIs (+125)
The Atlanta Braves acquired Lane Thomas from the Kansas City Royals before the trade deadline, and he has been a little slow to acclimate. He is hitting .222 (4-for-18) with two doubles, a home run and three RBI with two runs scored through 10 games since coming over from the Royals.
However, facing left-handed pitcher Anthony Kay of the White Sox, a face he is familiar with, might get him going. Thomas is hitting .268 against lefties this season - 66 points higher than his average versus righties, and he has an .836 OPS versus lefties, as opposed to .642 versus righties. It isn’t a huge sample size, but he is hitting .444 (4-for-9) with two RBIs in his career against Kay.
Ernie Clement 2+ Hits + Runs + RBIs (+102)
Ernie Clement was sidelined on Wednesday, so proceed with caution. However, he was simply resting because he was under the weather, so expect a quick recovery from the Blue Jays infielder ahead of the series finale versus Tampa Bay.
Clement has 11 at-bats against lefty Ian Seymour, which is more at-bats than he has against any other Tampa Bay pitcher. He is hitting .364 (4-for-11) with a double, a .455 slugging rate and an .818 OPS against the southpaw. Assuming Clement is hydrated and ready to go, he is a strong play, but double-check lineups before finalizing your play.
Gavin Williams Under 7.5 Strikeouts (-148)
The Giants and Guardians had a pitcher’s duel on Wednesday, and we could get another decent pitching performance on Thursday, especially from Gavin Williams of the Guardians.
However, while Williams ranks third in the Majors with 190 strikeouts, he has managed just 12 total punchouts in the past two starts, failing to reach this mark in each of the outings.
The Giants have struck out 994 times through 126 games, or 7.89 strikeouts per game. The Giants are one of just five MLB teams yet to reach 1,000 punchouts this season. Williams will have a solid outing, and he might even get to six or seven strikeouts, but go take the under and feel confident in doing so.
Gerrit Cole 7+ Strikeouts Recorded (-102)
In the evening slate, the Yankees and Orioles square off at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Gerrit Cole will face a Baltimore offense that has struck out 1,170 times, which ranks fourth in the Majors and second in the American League, just ahead of the Yankees (1,159). We should see plenty of strikeouts for both Cole and Orioles starter Kyle Bradish.
Cole has had particularly good luck against Colton Cowser, who is hitless in seven career at-bats with six strikeouts. Take Cole to go over this total, and then some.
