Joe Ryan has struck out at least seven batters in back-to-back games. Below, I discuss whether he’ll make it three straight against the Chicago White Sox. I also explain why Tyler Mahle is in for another solid start against the Arizona Diamondbacks and how Hunter Goodman can keep hitting well in a favorable matchup. Here are the best MLB player props for Tuesday, May 26th.
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Tuesday’s Best MLB Player Props & Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Joe Ryan Over 6.5 Strikeouts (+122)
Joe Ryan has struck out at least seven batters in back-to-back games. This season, he has at least five strikeouts in all but one game where he pitched at least one full inning. He has struck out at least seven batters four times and at least six batters six times.
Tonight, Ryan gets a fantastic matchup against the White Sox. They have the fifth-most strikeouts in the league (485). They're the only team over 480 that has played fewer than 53 games.
Ryan hasn't faced much of this White Sox lineup, so it's hard to know what to expect from him. While he only has one strikeout in 26 at-bats, 19 of those at-bats were from Andrew Benintendi. Since Benintendi won't be stepping to the plate every time, I'll back a hot pitcher against a lineup that struggles to make contact.
Tyler Mahle Over 4.5 Strikeouts (+104)
The Diamondbacks don't strike out much. They have just 392 strikeouts through 52 games, which is the third-fewest in the league. But tonight's matchup won't be an easy one for them.
Tyler Mahle has struck out 54 batters in 51.2 innings this season. He's struck out at least five batters in eight of his 10 starts. Mahle has struck out at least six batters in three consecutive games, and he's struck out 25 batters in four starts in May.
There's also the fact that Mahle just faced the Diamondbacks last Wednesday. Despite how good the Diamondbacks are at making contact, Mahle struck out six batters in just five innings.
There's always a concern that Mahle will get shelled. After all, he has a 6.10 ERA. But he allowed six earned runs and eight hits against the Diamondbacks last week, and he still hit this over with relative ease.
Hunter Goodman Over 1.5 Total Bases (+130)
Hunter Goodman has hit two singles in back-to-back games, and he gets a great matchup tonight. Of all Dodgers pitchers to face, Eric Lauer is the one. He has allowed 38 hits in 36.1 innings and has an ERA of 6.69.
While Goodman is only hitting .230 this month, he has recorded at least one hit in 10 of his last 15 games. He's also 1-for-3 against Lauer in his career, so this isn't some unexpectedly horrible matchup for him.
Lauer has allowed at least five hits in six consecutive games. Considering how poorly he's pitched and how well Goodman has been hitting, I'll take my chances at a really good price.
Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.