Friday's Major League Baseball slate is loaded with several intriguing divisional and interleague matchups, and we offer our top MLB prop picks and best bets for Friday based on the best MLB odds.
The weekend series starts with a rare Friday afternoon game between two of the AL Central's biggest surprises: the Detroit Tigers (14-11) host the Kansas City Royals (16-10).
From there, Major League Baseball has five high-profile interleague matchups involving teams that are .500 or better, with arguably none more intriguing than a matchup of two division leaders – the Atlanta Braves and the visiting Cleveland Guardians.
Here are our MLB player props and expert picks for Friday (MLB picks based on odds via our best MLB betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Friday's MLB expert picks
- Ryan Mountcastle Over 0.5 RBIs (+160 via bet365) ????
- Kutter Crawford Under 2.5 earned runs (-155 via bet365) ?????
- Starling Marte Under 1.5 total bases (-170 via bet365) ????
- Kyle Harrison Over 5.5 strikeouts (-125 via DraftKings) ????
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MLB player props
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odds | Over 0.5 (+155) | Over 0.5 (+130) | Over 0.5 (+155) | Over 0.5 (+159) | Over 0.5 (+160) |
Game info: Athletics vs. Orioles | Moneyline: Orioles (-275 via Betway) | Total: 7.5 via Betway | Start time: 7:05 p.m. ET
Baltimore's young, versatile, and deep lineup has been a nightmare for opposing pitchers. Five hitters are currently batting over .300, while five others have OPSs of .866 or better. First baseman Ryan Mountcastle fits both categories, which means he is likely due for positive regression in the RBI column after driving in at least one run in just two of the last eight games.
That regression should come against Ross Stripling. Mountcastle is 3-for-7 with two home runs and a .571 wOBA in his career vs. the Athletics hurler. We are getting outstanding value at bet365.
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Best odds: +160 via bet365
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odds | Under 2.5 (-165) | OFF | Under 2.5 (-165) | Under 2.5 (-157) | Under 2.5 (-155) |
Game info: Cubs vs. Red Sox | Moneyline: Cubs (-110 via Betway) | Total: 7.5 via Betway | Start time: 7:10 p.m. ET
Fenway Park is widely considered one of the most hitter-friendly stadiums, but do not tell that to Kutter Crawford, as his 0.66 ERA through five starts is the lowest among all starting pitchers. Crawford has not allowed a home run in 43 2/3 innings and has surrendered just two extra-base hits this season.
Crawford should have little trouble navigating a Chicago Cubs lineup without two of their most feared bats. Seiya Suzuki is dealing with an oblique injury, and Cody Bellinger suffered two cracked ribs. Because of bet365's -155 odds, we are making this a five-star play on a pitcher who has allowed one or fewer earned runs in all five starts this season.
Best odds: -155 via bet365
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odds | Under 1.5 (-180) | OFF | Under 1.5 (-175) | Under 1.5 (-179) | Under 1.5 (-170) |
Game info: Cardinals vs. Mets | Moneyline: Mets (-130 via Betway) | Total: 7.5 via Betway | Start time: 7:10 p.m. ET
Marte leads the New York Mets with a .290 batting average and is second on the team in total bases (45) despite just eight of his 29 hits going for extra bases. Thanks to seven multi-hit games in that span, Marte has exceeded this projected total in eight of the last 13 games.
However, he has not had good career success against St. Louis Cardinals righty Miles Mikolas, slashing .143/.211/.171 with just one of his five hits in those 35 at-bats going for extra bases. If we were to back bet365's +200 odds for Marte to go hitless, we would make this a less confident three-star play.
Best odds: -170 via bet365
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odds | Over 5.5 (-125) | OFF | Over 5.5 (-140) | Over 5.5 (-148) | Over 5.5 (-135) |
Game info: Pirates vs. Giants | Moneyline: Giants (-150 via Betway) | Total: 8.5 via Betway | Start time: 10:15 p.m. ET
Kyle Harrison has recorded 18 outs in three of his five starts and recorded at least five strikeouts in two of those. The two starts where he did not last that deep in the game came against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers, two teams that rank in the top nine in batting average and top 11 in wRC+ against southpaws.
However, the Pittsburgh Pirates rank outside the top 11 in both categories and strike out at the NL's highest rate (26.3%) against left-handed pitching.
Best odds: -125 via DraftKings
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MLB player props made Friday at 8:09 a.m. ET.
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- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
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