Five Winning MLB Player Props Picks to Cash on Friday (August 13)

While he’s not necessarily like Brock Holt, throwing eephus pitches up to the plate at 31 MPH, Zack Greinke has been known to serve a few up in the 50’s.

MLB Sportsbooks

We’ll discuss how that fits into an MLB strikeout prop for Friday’s MLB action, not to mention explore some guys who’ll be facing fastballs and sliders.

Check out today’s winning props, and don’t forget that there are a lot more choices at online sportsbooks.

Best MLB Player Props Predictions for August 13th

Cardinals vs. Royals Picks

PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT (St. Louis Cardinals) OVER 1.5 TOTAL BASES (+110)

Opponent: KANSAS CITY ROYALS (starter – Mike Minor)

Time: 8:10 PM ET

Goldschmidt has not been setting the world on fire, the way he used to. In fact, his .781 OPS is the lowest of his career. He led the National League in intentional walks in 2015, and he hasn’t been issued one since 2019.

But he has taken the measure of Minor thus far; in nine trips to the plate he has five hits, three of which are for extra bases. Included are a pair of homers.

Minor has gone 12 innings in his last two starts, and during that time he’s given up four home runs.

Baseball Odds

Padres vs. Diamondbacks Picks

TOMMY PHAM (San Diego Padres) UNDER 1.5 HITS (-250)

Opponent: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (starter – Madison Bumgarner)

Time: 9:40 PM ET

Tommy Pham has done some pretty good things in his career, but the Las Vegas native has rolled snake eyes against the big lefty, Madison Bumgarner.

He’s come up to the plate 17 times and has managed to get on base four times, but he is 0-for-13 in official at bats. And since we are evaluating hits and nothing else with this prop, we’ll rely on past performance to predict the present.

MadBum has gone seven innings in each of his last three starts, and that is actually good news for us here.

Brewers vs. Pirates Picks

GREGORY POLANCO (Pittsburgh Pirates) UNDER 0.5 HITS (+140)

Opponent: MILWAUKEE BREWERS (starter – Brett Anderson)

Time: 7:05 PM ET

Brett Anderson has done a pretty good job of holding the fort down, as his last three outings have been more than adequate. When you give up two runs on eleven hits in 16-2/3 innings, that’s generally more than one would expect. And Anderson has snuffed out the Pirates in his two starts against them in 2021 (no earned runs in 13 innings).

Gregory Polanco, the Pirates’ right fielder, who between this year and last has hit just .183, striking out in 31% of his plate appearances, hasn’t been able to touch him, as he is 0-for-9 at the plate against Anderson. And he doesn’t done much business against anyone in the Milwaukee relief corps either. So that makes this posted price very inviting.

Baseball Predictions

Indians vs. Tigers Picks

NIKO GOODRUM (Detroit Tigers) UNDER 0.5 HITS (+140)

Opponent: CLEVELAND INDIANS (starter – Zach Plesac)

Time: 7:10 PM ET

What’s interesting about this one is that Cleveland’s Zach Plesac (nephew of Dan Plesac, commentator on MLB Network) has averaged just 5.8 strikeouts per nine innings, making him a soft tosser by 2021 standards.

Yet when facing Detroit shortstop Niko Goodrum, he’s registered six K’s against him in eleven at bats. No wonder -Goodrum has struck out more than 34% of the time he has come to the plate. He’s also hitting .182 lifetime against Plesac. And with a .232 career average, not much can really be expected out of him.

Astros vs. Angels Picks

ZACK GREINKE (Houston Astros) UNDER 4.5 STRIKEOUTS (-155)

Opponent: LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Time: 9:35 PM ET

Greinke was at one time a pretty formidable strikeout pitcher. This season he is averaging just 6.8 per nine innings.

But he still knows how to get hitters out in other ways, which is why he has plenty of value.

And he’s durable; no one in MLB has more starts.

He has gone seven innings in each of two starts against the Angels this season, and has totaled ten strikeouts. We don’t know exactly who Joe Maddon is going to send out there. But against the lineup that played last night, in addition to Justin Upton, who is being moved around the order when he’s not being benched, Greinke has registered a little less than a 13% K rate.

That would put him short of this posted figure, which may be even less if guys like Upton and / or Shohei Ohtani had their playing time limited.

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Charles Jay
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