With the weekend on the horizon, we're digging into Friday's baseball slate and providing our top MLB player props and expert picks based on the best MLB odds.
Unfortunately, the Chicago Cubs are on the road, which means no Friday afternoon action at Wrigley Field. Therefore, we need to wait until 6:40 p.m. ET for the first games of the day.
Fear not, though, as we're treated to a ton of exciting action when it begins. Among those first contests is a showdown between the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers, and we're targeting a player prop from that game.
Shortly after that, the World Series odds favorites, the Los Angeles Dodgers, begin their road series in Cincinnati when they take on the Reds at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Later, we end the night with one of the hottest teams in baseball, as the New York Yankees head to Pe tco Park to take on the San Diego Padres. First pitch for that game is expected at 9:40 p.m. ET.
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
- Alek Manoah Under 5.5 strikeouts (-119 via Caesars) ????
- Corbin Burnes Under 6.5 strikeouts (-110 via bet365) ????
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MLB player props
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odds | Under 5.5 (-125) | Under 5.5 (-125) | Under 5.5 (-120) | Under 5.5 (-119) | Under 5.5 (-125) |
Game info: Blue Jays vs. Tigers | Moneyline: Blue Jays (-120 via Betway) | Total: Over 8.5 (-105)/Under 8.5 (-115) via Betway | Start time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Is Alek Manoah back?
Following a disastrous 2023 campaign, Manoah got off to a shaky start to this season, too. He was annihilated in his lone High-A appearance before settling in during his final Triple-A performance.
Immediately upon returning to the majors, the Washington Nationals blasted Manoah for six earned runs on six hits and four walks. However, he's been finding a groove since while allowing no earned runs in his last two appearances, spanning 14 innings. Manoah has racked up 13 punchouts in those two games.
The hurler now faces a Detroit Tigers team on Friday that ranks in the bottom 10 in strikeout rate and is especially streaky at the plate. The Tigers have scored just 10 runs in four games this week, so Manoah could be getting them at the right time.
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However, his strikeout projection on Friday suggests we should temper our expectations. Based on the average from three of our trusted models, Manoah is projected to record only 4.68 punchouts against the Tigers, well below the six he'd need to go Over this total.
Based on that projection, we're getting roughly 23% positive expected value on this bet. Pinnacle, which features one of the most respected trading teams in the sports betting industry, prices its Under at -167 after opening at -108.
Best odds: -119 via Caesars
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odds | Under 6.5 (-135) | Under 6.5 (-125) | OFF | Under 6.5 (-127) | Under 6.5 (-110) |
Game info: Orioles vs. White Sox | Moneyline: Orioles (-260 via Betway) | Total: Over 8.5 (+100)/Under 8.5 (-120) via Betway | Start time: 7:40 p.m. ET
Corbin Burnes has been everything the Baltimore Orioles dreamed of when they traded for him this offseason. He's among the favorites by the MLB Cy Young odds in the AL thanks to his elite 2.56 ERA and 1.04 WHIP, and Burnes is striking out 9.05 batters per nine innings. The righty is coming off an 11-strikeout performance against the Seattle Mariners.
However, the Chicago White Sox – for as bad as they are – don't strike out at the rate the Mariners do (no one does, to be fair). They sit just around the middle of the league with a 23% K rate, and the team managed to hang with the Orioles on Thursday in an 8-6 defeat.
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For his part, Burnes' projection on Friday is just 5.57 Ks. That's based on the average of all four of our trusted projection models, with the high number being 6.04 and the low being 5.17. Based on that projection, we're getting roughly 27% +EV through these -110 odds at bet365.
As you can see, the rest of our best sports betting sites are hovering around -125, and Pinnacle is far shorter than that at -168 after opening at +100.
Best odds: -110 via bet365
MLB player props made Friday at 8 a.m. ET.
Here are our best MLB betting sites:
- Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUS1000 | Read our Caesars Review
- BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetMGM Review
- bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
- BetRivers Promo Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetRivers Review
- FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
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Related pages
- Best Live Betting Sites | Best Sportsbook Promos (U.S. only)