How will Kyle Hendricks fare against the Kansas City Royals and their offense? Will Charlie Morton strike out more than five batters for the first time in four games when he takes on the New York Mets? And how will Gunnar Henderson perform against the San Diego Padres?
Here are the best PrizePicks plays for Friday, July 26.
Our PrizePicks Cheat Sheet helps bettors by comparing lines from PrizePicks vs. our daily MLB projections >>
How will Kyle Hendricks fare against the Kansas City Royals and their offense? Will Charlie Morton strike out more than five batters for the first time in four games when he takes on the New York Mets? And how will Gunnar Henderson perform against the San Diego Padres?
Here are the best PrizePicks plays for Friday, July 26.
Our PrizePicks Cheat Sheet helps bettors by comparing lines from PrizePicks vs. our daily MLB projections >>
Friday’s Best MLB PrizePicks Player Predictions
Record This Season: 74-57-4
Kyle Hendricks has struck out just 52 batters in 75.1 innings this season. With an ERA of 6.69, there is a very good chance he gets chased early against one of the best-scoring teams in baseball. But even if he doesn't get chased early, there is no reason to expect him to have any success against the team with the second-fewest strikeouts in the league.
Hendricks has struck out just 10 Royals in 67 at-bats. The lineup is hitting .343 against him. He has struck out three or fewer batters in four consecutive starts. In one of those starts, he pitched seven innings. This is a really low number, but nothing is pointing toward Hendricks having a good game.
Charlie Morton has faced the Mets twice this season. In one start, he struck out four batters. In the other, he struck out seven. While those numbers don't make one side of the line clearer than the other, Morton has pitched at least 5.2 innings in each of his last four starts.
Morton has struck out five or fewer batters in each of his last three starts and the Mets are the 10th-best team at avoiding strikeouts this season. But his longevity is going to make a difference tonight. Plus, Morton has solid numbers against the Mets in his career. They're hitting just .235 off of him. He's striking out a batter for every 3.3 he faces. It almost feels like oddsmakers are setting a trap to take the less than. Don't fall for it.
Gunnar Henderson has gone hitless in three of his last four games. However, he's still the best hitter on the Baltimore Orioles, and this is a phenomenal matchup. Padres starter Adam Mazur has a WHIP of 1.84 and he's allowed 27 earned runs in 31 innings.
Henderson went 4-for-5 last Friday. He also has 28 home runs and 19 doubles. He could hit the more than on just one swing of the bat. If he gets two chances against Mazur, it's very difficult to see him not taking advantage of one of the best matchups a hitter could hope for.
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Friday:
Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.
