Rumor has it Major League Baseball isn’t the only game in town this Wednesday. But you know the grind never stops, and there is still money to be made on the diamond. With that in mind, here are three of my favorite MLB player props for September 9.
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Wednesday's Best MLB Player Prop Bets
(All bets one unit, unless otherwise specified.)
Travis Bazzana Over 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBI (+103 at DraftKings)
For my first MLB player prop for Wednesday, I am picking Travis Bazzana to register at least two total hits, runs, and RBI versus Shane Baz and the Baltimore Orioles.
Bazzana enters this game in excellent form as of late. The former overall number-one draft pick has recorded seven hits and eight runs batted in over his last four games. He has gone well over this number in all four games. Bazzana also profiles extremely well against Baz’s pitch mix.
Baz throws a four-seam fastball, knuckle curve, or changeup over 90 percent of the time when facing left-handed hitters this year. Bazzana is batting .304 and slugging .580 against those three pitches from right-handers this season.
Two of Baltimore's three left-handed relievers pitched on Tuesday. That reduces the likelihood that either will pitch on Wednesday because they both pitched on Sunday as well. Bazzana has had issues hitting lefties, so facing a mostly right-handed group of pitchers could go a long way toward Bazzana hitting this number.
I must point out that this pick is somewhat dependent on Bazzana's lineup slot, which could be subject to the health of Chase DeLauter. DeLauter has missed four straight games with a wrist injury. He could return Wednesday, but with Cleveland having an off day Thursday, it might make more sense to let him heal an extra day. I still like Bazzana in this matchup regardless, but him batting second would be ideal.
Cody Bellinger Over 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBI (-135 at FanDuel)
We all know that nothing is guaranteed when it comes to sports betting. Still, we want to put ourselves in advantageous situations and that is exactly why I did a double take when I saw the price of Cody Bellinger's HRRBI prop on FanDuel for Wednesday's game.
Bellinger and the New York Yankees are facing Tomoyuki Sugano and the Colorado Rockies. Sugano is one of the best pitchers in baseball to target for opposing hitters. Among 80 hurlers who have pitched at least 130 innings, Sugano allows the fourth-highest batting average while also posting a 95th-percentile walk rate and second-percentile strikeout rate.
And lest you think Sugano is a better pitcher away from Coors Field, think again. Sugano's ERA and batting average allowed are higher on the road than at home. He has even given up five more home runs on the road this year despite starting one more game at home.
Bellinger is batting .310 at home this season and should bat between Ben Rice and Aaron Judge. There aren't many better lineup slots when it comes to the probability of scoring and driving in runs. Bellinger is 3-for-6 in his career against the Rockies' right-hander.
Speaking of Judge, I would be remiss not to mention that he is 7-for-9 with three home runs against Sugano. Judge's HRRBI line is priced Over 1.5 at -125 on Fanatics. I decided to go with Bellinger instead, but Judge obviously makes a ton of sense here as well.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto to Record a Win (-105 at Fanatics)
My final MLB player prop bet is in a niche market these days. I am betting on Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers to record a win against the Cincinnati Reds.
Yamamoto has been one of baseball’s most consistent starting pitchers this season. He only has one win in his last seven starts, but he is still pitching quite well. Yamamoto has a 2.38 ERA and has allowed just 43 baserunners in 45.1 innings pitched. He has also recorded at least eight strikeouts in four consecutive starts.
Yamamoto has also historically dominated Reds' hitters. Cincinnati's batters have 43 combined at-bats against the Dodgers' right-hander and have mustered just nine total bases while striking out 18 times.
The main reason Yamamoto hasn’t been racking up victories is that the Dodgers have been up and down for several weeks. However, they seem to have found their rhythm. Los Angeles has won six straight games and has scored 50 runs over their last eight contests. I expect the Dodgers to keep rolling against the Reds and starting pitcher Rhett Lowder.
Lowder's 5.43 ERA is the ninth-highest among 120 pitchers who have thrown at least 100 innings this year. Lowder has set a new career high in innings pitched and seems to be wearing down as the season comes to a close. He has allowed 18 runs in just 21.2 innings across his last four starts.
The Dodgers are as high as a -295 favorite to win this game outright. That makes this player prop one of my favorite plays on Wednesday's board.
