No, there is not a heck of a lot to choose from on Monday, but the world is what you make of it, right?
We have found a few MLB props that have some value for us on a Monday schedule that is anything but crowded.
MLB Player Props Picks for August 2nd
AARON JUDGE (New York Yankees) +235 TO HIT HOME RUN
Opponent: BALTIMORE ORIOLES (starter – Jorge Lopez)
Time: 7:05 PM ET
Baltimore starter Jorge Lopez hasn’t gotten a whole lot of hitters out; hence the 6.12 ERA. And so facing the Yankee lineup, which is potentially the most explosive in the game from a power standpoint, is a daunting task.
You can see that he has actually had some success with a few members of this crew. Gio Urshula, for example, has just two hits in ten trips to the plate against him, lifetime. The same goes for Luke Voit, whose status after the recent trades is uncertain.
But Lopez does NOT necessarily want Aaron Judge stepping in there.
Well, we are not saying that Judge owns the Orioles or Lopez, but he’s had five plate appearances against him, gone three-for-three at the plate with two walks, and hit two homers.
Of course, there is a problem in that Lopez has not gotten out of the fifth inning in any of his last six starters. But maybe that doesn’t matter, as Judge is hitting .538 against Oriole pitching this season, with seven homers in 26 at bats. That puts him right up there on the “ouch” meter. And it’s obviously pretty touch to pitch around the guy.
Giants vs. Diamondbacks Best Bets
KETEL MARTE (Arizona D-Backs) UNDER 1.5 HITS (-225)
Opponent: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (starter – Anthony DeSclafani)
Time: 9:40 PM ET
The fact that they are putting up this number at 1.5 hits tells you that something is expected out of Marte in this game. And on the surface, maybe those expectations are not so unreasonable; after all, he’s got a .367 average in 139 at bats in a performance that is 80 points better than what he did last season.
But with two hits in eleven trips to the plate against this San Francisco starter (albeit with one of them for a home run), this would not be a high-percentage play, based on those numbers.
And let us not forget that DeSclafani (10-5, 3.10 ERA) got within an out of a complete game last time around against Arizona on the Fourth of July. So he might be on the hill for a while.
BRYAN REYNOLDS (Pittsburgh Pirates) UNDER 1.5 TOTAL BASES (-170)
Opponent: MILWAUKEE BREWERS (starter – Eric Lauer)
Time: 8:10 PM ET
You know Eric Lauer; he’s the Milwaukee starting pitcher who HASN’T been lights out this season. Still,he hasn’t been bad (3.78 ERA),and after you get past some occasional difficulties with the long ball, he is someone the Brewers could probably have some confidence in.
What’s interesting is that if you took the Pittsburgh hitters he is likely to face here, he’s given up just three extra base hits in 54 at bats to them. And they are hitting just over the .200 mark, with slugging around .300. AND the Pirates are perhaps the least potent offensive team in all of Major League baseball.
So you can pretty much pick any guy here. We’ll take Bryan Reynolds, who is priced decently and has a .636 OPS against Lauer.
Read our MLB home run props betting guide and MLB total bases props betting guide.
