MLB PrizePicks Player Predictions: Thursday (6/1)

Typically these limited Thursday MLB slates leave a lot to be desired, but today is different. We are blessed with a plethora of elite starting pitching, with the likes of Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer, Chris Sale and Pablo Lopez all toeing the rubber today.

As always, the primary focus will be on pitching props, so let’s build off of yesterday’s sweep and bag another one.

Here are the best PrizePicks plays for Thursday, June 1's MLB action.

Thursday's Best MLB PrizePicks Player Predictions

PrizePicks record: 27-15-2

As always, the primary focus will be on pitching props, so let’s build off of yesterday’s sweep and bag another one.

Here are the best PrizePicks plays for Thursday, June 1's MLB action.

Thursday's Best MLB PrizePicks Player Predictions

PrizePicks record: 27-15-2

Max Scherzer Over 6.5 Strikeouts

Coors Field is generally known to suppress strikeouts, but “Mad Max” didn’t seem to get the memo in his last start. He finished with a season-high eight strikeouts and generated 20 whiffs along the way. Scherzer should be in store for another high-whiff day against the Phillies, who are chasing as much as anyone. They have the second-highest O-Swing%, and we all know how well Scherzer can lure hitters out of the zone.

He hasn’t shown it very often this year, but he has the track record of striking out plenty of Philadelphia hitters. Their roster owns a 32.8% strikeout rate and .299 xwOBA in 180 combined plate appearances against Scherzer. Last season they faced him on four occasions and struck out six, seven, nine and seven times. He should carry the momentum from his last start into today and find at least seven punchouts along the way.

Chris Sale Over 6.5 Strikeouts

It feels good to have this Chris Sale back in our lives. After a bumpy start to the season, Sale appears to be back in his old form, and I’m willing to give him a pass for his short outing last start. He was dealing with a stomach bug and was limited to 73 pitches, but he was still relatively effective in the five innings he threw.

Even with the tough start to the year, Sale has recorded six or more strikeouts in seven of his 10 outings and ranks in the top 88% in chase rate, 78% in hard hit% and 76% in K%. His teammate James Paxton managed to strike out eight Cincinnati batters yesterday in just five innings, so why can’t Sale replicate that today?

Kevin Gausman Over 7.5 Strikeouts

There isn’t a better pitch to watch than Kevin Gausman’s splitter, and there’s an argument that it is the nastiest pitch of any starter when he is on point. With a 2.93 xFIP, it’s safe to say he has generally been sharp this season, and he also ranks in the top 74% in xERA/xwOBA, 89% in K%, 95% in chase rate and his 30.6% CSW% is 26th-best, as well.

Even if he isn’t the best version of himself, it likely won’t matter facing this Milwaukee squad that strikes out at an insanely high clip. It has gotten worse as of late too. Over the last two weeks, they have the third-highest K% (27.2%) and seventh-worst wRC+ (77) when facing right-handed pitching. Gausman has eight or more strikeouts in six of his last nine starts, and I’d expect more of the same dominance from him pitching at home today.

Also make sure to check out the rest of Thursday's best bets:

Tyler Gentile is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Tyler, follow him @808Paperboi.