Best MLB Player Props For Friday (August 18)

We have made it to the start of the weekend and a full slate of baseball is on the Friday docket, with all but two games taking place in the evening.

For those of us still laboring through the world of betting on baseball (only 8 days until the first weekend of the college football season!), we have circled these four player prop bets to get things going. Let’s dive in.

Spencer Strider to Record a Win

The Braves continue to roll, having swept a three-game series against the Yankees with a combined score of 18-3. This gives them eight wins in their last 10 games and the best record in MLB at 78-42.

Tonight, ace Spencer Strider will take the mound against the Giants, a team currently in the midst of the NL Wild Card race. The Braves are listed as heavy -250 moneyline favorites.

While Strider’s strikeout prop of 8.5 K’s is enticing due to the Giants’ struggles against right-handed pitchers and his elite strikeout potential, we’re going in a different direction for tonight’s contest. We’re taking Strider to earn the win in the opener of their weekend series.

This will be Strider’s first meeting against the Giants this season. Although he had less than stellar performances in two starts against them in 2022 (0-1 with an 8.31 ERA), the Braves are currently playing at a much higher level than anyone else not named the Dodgers.

If you’re interested in betting on the Braves to win tonight but are cautious about laying down that kind of juice or backing the run line, choosing Strider to earn the win presents a reasonable alternative.

BestOdds: DraftKings (-115)

Sandy Alcantara UNDER 5.5 Strikeouts

After struggling to reach his strikeout total for much of the season, the reigning NL Cy Young winner has experienced a surge in punchouts over his last five starts.

Alcantara has struck out 36 batters in his most recent five outings, surpassing his strikeout total in four of the five games. This was highlighted by his last performance in which he struck out 10 Yankees’ batters in a 3-1 complete game victory.

Tonight, Sandy faces a much more formidable challenge than the struggling Yankees’ offense. Miami is visiting Dodger Stadium to kick off a three-game weekend series with the scorching-hot Dodgers.

The Dodgers have secured 11 consecutive wins and hold a remarkable 15-1 record in the month of August. To compound Alcantara’s difficulties, the Dodgers possess the lowest strikeout rate in baseball against right-handed pitchers over the last 30 days.

While Alcantara’s recent mound appearances have shown significant improvement compared to much of the season, the Dodgers’ lineup presents an entirely different level of difficulty.

Look for the Doyers to continue their red-hot play and to once again stay below the 5.5 strikeout total tonight. They have stayed under the strikeout total in 10 of their last 14 encounters against right-handed pitching.

BestOdds: FanDuel (-134)

Mookie Betts OVER 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI’s

With the Dodgers as red hot as they are, we’re just going to go ahead and sprinkle a bit on the hottest batter in their lineup right now: Mookie Betts.

Mookie is batting .410 (25-of-68) in the month of August with four home runs, six doubles, 13 RBI, and 17 runs scored.

To add even more reason to back Mookie tonight, he’s batting an absolutely ridiculous .563 with a home run and 5 RBI against RHP at Dodger Stadium this month, albeit over a smaller sample size of 17 plate appearances. Nonetheless, the man is hotter than the surface of Venus at the moment.

While Sandy has pitched better of late, Mookie Betts is not a guy any pitcher should look forward to facing right now, and even though his H+R+RBI prop comes with a bit of juice, we’ll happily take it tonight.

Mookie has cleared 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI’s in eight of his last 10 games and in 17 of his last 20 games overall.

We’ll ride that hot hand any day of the week.

BestOdds: DraftKings (-150)

Shohei Ohtani OVER 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI’s

The annual Angels’ 2nd half swoon has continued to take place as they are just 4-11 over their last 15 games and sit a distant seven games back of the last Wild Card spot in the American League.

Despite the Angels’ dismal performance in the month of August, Shohei Ohtani continues to be pretty damn good at baseball.

Shohei has cleared 1.5 H+R+RBI in six of his last 10 games and in 21 of his last 30 games overall.

Tonight he faces what will likely be a carousel of Rays’ pitchers as journeyman Erasmo Ramirez takes the bump in the opener role before turning it over to the bullpen.

Despite the Rays’ pitching being severely tested by losing three starters to season-ending injuries requiring Tommy John surgery, they have fought and clawed to stay only two games back of Baltimore in the AL East.

However, Erasmo Ramirez and the various relievers to follow are nowhere near good enough to shy away from the one dependable bat in the Angels’ lineup tonight.

The Rays have gone through more insane hurdles as a team than any contender in recent memory, but we think Shohei Ohtani is ripe for another strong outing tonight.

BestOdds: DraftKings (-160)