With the MLB All-Star Game behind us, our attention turns to the second half of the MLB season. How will Gerrit Cole fare against the Tampa Bay Rays? Will Hunter Brown strike out more than seven Seattle Mariners in his third start against them this season? And will Trea Turner pick up where he left off before the All-Star Break against the Pittsburgh Pirates?
Here are the best PrizePicks plays for Friday, July 19.
Our PrizePicks Cheat Sheet helps bettors by comparing lines from PrizePicks vs. our daily MLB projections >>
With the MLB All-Star Game behind us, our attention turns to the second half of the MLB season. How will Gerrit Cole fare against the Tampa Bay Rays? Will Hunter Brown strike out more than seven Seattle Mariners in his third start against them this season? And will Trea Turner pick up where he left off before the All-Star Break against the Pittsburgh Pirates?
Here are the best PrizePicks plays for Friday, July 19.
Our PrizePicks Cheat Sheet helps bettors by comparing lines from PrizePicks vs. our daily MLB projections >>
Friday’s Best MLB PrizePicks Player Predictions
This Season: 71-52-3
Since making his season debut on June 19, Cole has struck out more than seven batters in just one of his five starts. But while he's had some issues keeping runs off the scoreboard, he has started to look sharper in recent starts.
Aside from one terrible start where he allowed six earned runs and struck out zero in 4.0 innings against the New York Mets, Cole has managed to strike out more than one batter per inning in all of his games this season. In his one eight-strikeout performance, he only pitched 4.1 innings. Cole has great numbers against the Rays, striking out one in every three batters he faces, and the Rays have the eighth-most strikeouts in the league. Even if Cole only pitches five innings in this game, we believe he will strike out at least seven batters, leaving a push as the worst-case scenario.
Brown has faced the Mariners twice this season. In his first start, he struck out five. In his second, he struck out nine. It makes sense that his total for Friday's start has been set right between those numbers. However, we expect his second performance to prove to be the norm in his third meeting with the most strikeout-prone team in the league.
Brown has struck out 105 batters in 98.1 innings this season. In his career, he has struck out 22 Mariners in 59 at-bats for a ratio of one strikeout for every 2.7 batters. The Mariners are also the only team in the league with more than 1,000 strikeouts. Brown has struck out seven or fewer in five consecutive starts, but he's also pitched at least 6.0 innings in 10 consecutive. If he goes at least 6.0 innings on Friday, he will easily top this total.
Before the All-Star Break, Turner had recorded multiple hits in five of six games. During that same span, he hit four home runs. While the All-Star Break may cool his bat, Turner did have the added benefit of playing in the game. He went 1-of-3. He's batting .349 this year, and he has a great matchup on Friday.
In his first game after the All-Star Break, Turner gets to face Martin Perez, a pitcher who has really struggled this season. He has allowed 94 hits in 73.1 innings pitched and has a WHIP of 1.62. In addition to Perez's weak numbers, Turner also has a solid history against the Pirates' lefty. Turner is 4-of-12 against Perez with two doubles and two RBIs. Considering how hot Turner is and how much Perez has struggled, the over is the play.
Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.
