The first meaningful baseball games since July 9th will be played tonight, as all 30 teams start the second half of the season following the All-Star break. Michael Kopech returns from the IL to face the Atlanta Braves, and the Miami Marlins and Baltimore Orioles begin a marquee series.
Here are the best PrizePicks plays for Friday, July 14th's MLB action.
Friday’s Best MLB PrizePicks Player Predictions
This Season: 51-61
Kopech returns from the 15-day IL as he looks to pick up his first win since May 24th. In his last four starts, he struck out 3, 5, 4, and 6. It seems the shoulder that landed him on the injured list was really affecting his pitching, and after plenty of rest, we expect him to look more like the guy who threw at least nine strikeouts in four consecutive games earlier this year.
The first meaningful baseball games since July 9th will be played tonight, as all 30 teams start the second half of the season following the All-Star break. Michael Kopech returns from the IL to face the Atlanta Braves, and the Miami Marlins and Baltimore Orioles begin a marquee series.
Here are the best PrizePicks plays for Friday, July 14th's MLB action.
Friday’s Best MLB PrizePicks Player Predictions
This Season: 51-61
Kopech returns from the 15-day IL as he looks to pick up his first win since May 24th. In his last four starts, he struck out 3, 5, 4, and 6. It seems the shoulder that landed him on the injured list was really affecting his pitching, and after plenty of rest, we expect him to look more like the guy who threw at least nine strikeouts in four consecutive games earlier this year.
In their series against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Braves lineup struck out at least four times against every starter they faced. Kopech has struck out 97 batters in 86.0 innings. If he's healthy, he could post seven or eight strikeouts tonight.
Alcantara has struck out at least five in four consecutive starts, but he faces a tough matchup tonight against the Baltimore Orioles. The last time the Orioles played, Twins' starter Joe Ryan struck them out 10 times. But that performance was an outlier. The Orioles have not struck out much this season, and they have the 10th-fewest strikeouts in the MLB this season.
Alcantara has been far from consistent when it comes to strikeouts this season. In his last nine games, he has thrown fewer than five strikeouts in four games, including a 5.1-inning, 1-strikeout performance against the Washington Nationals. Alcantara could have a big second half of the season, but if he has success against the Orioles, it won't be because he struck them out.
Luis Arraez Over 1.5 Total Bases
Arraez went through the first half of the season batting an incredible .383. As he turns to the second half of the season, he will begin by facing Orioles' starter Dean Kremer. Arraez has never faced Kremer, but this should be a good matchup for Arraez, as Kremer has allowed 109 hits in 98.0 innings.
You can almost always count on Arraez to get at least one hit, and since in his last game, he went 0-4, we love him to record a hit tonight. Of course, to go over 1.5 bases, he will need two hits or an extra-base hit. He only has seven doubles since June 1st, but he should be able to get two hits against Kremer and the Orioles' bullpen.
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Friday:
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Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.
