Welcome to another Friday in the Major league Baseball season! It’s a very busy day in baseball with several divisional matchups and games with postseason implications, so there is plenty of opportunities for value in the player prop market.
I’m currently on a 3-0 run with my player props and I’m looking to extend that run to 5-0 with these 2 plays!
Yusei Kikuchi (HOU) Over 17.5 outs (-150)
Arguably the best trade deadline acquisition has been Yusei Kikuchi. The former Blue Jay was dealt to Houston for prospects and the Astros got the veteran arm that they needed. Since joining the Astros’ staff, Kikuchi is 4-0 with a 3.07 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. He has limited hitters to a .195 batting average with a 32% strikeout rate in that 7-start span, so his success hasn't been a fluke. Tonight, the lefty gets a generous matchup against the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels haven't been a threat for most of the season as the year pretty much ended when Mike Trout got hurt. Los Angeles has been especially bad against left-handed pitching since it ranks in the bottom half of the league in most offensive categories against southpaws since the beginning of August. Because Kikuchi is walking fewer hitters and has a fortunate matchup against a slumping L.A. lineup, I have him projected for 6.1 innings tonight.