The weekend is here, and we have an enticing MLB slate for this Saturday. With numerous games to choose from there are plenty of betting angles to attack. My 2 favorite bets of the day are highlighted below, let’s dive in!
Garrett Whitlock (BOS) u1.5 walks issued (+115)
Garrett Whitlock has been used by the Boston Red Sox as both a reliever and started during the past several seasons, but regardless of what role he has played, the right-hander has showcased elite command of the strike zone. Typically, when pitchers with good stuff bounce back and forth between roles it is due to a lack of control, or lack of depth in their pitching arsenal. Neither is an issue for Whitlock as the 6'5″ pitcher utilizes a 5-pitch mix and has a career-long BB/9 of only 1.77. His BB% of 4.3% and 4.8% in the last 2 seasons are elite rates, ranking 98th and 91st percentile in those respective seasons. Whitlock has amassed a 67.0% first pitch strike rate across his career, a mark that sits 6.9% higher than league average and allows him to consistently work from ahead in counts.'
Whitlock has now made 11 starts in the last 2 seasons, staying under 1.5 walks issued in 9 of those outings including 0 walks across 5 innings in his 2024 debut. In 20 career starts he has allowed 2 or more walks just 5 times. He faced only 19 batters across his 81-pitch workload, and with Boston easing him back into a starting role we could see similar usage for the first month or so. Whitlock will face the Los Angeles Angels in his 2nd start of the season, and through their first 188 PA against right-handed pitching this season they have just a 7.4% BB%, the 10th lowest mark. They do have some patient batters atop the order that will likely post solid season-long walk rates, but at plus money this prop shows too much value for me to pass on.