MLB Player Props 7/12
The weekend has arrived and the All-Star break is right around the corner. Wednesday was another 2-1 night with Corbin Burnes surprisingly not looking sharp. Mark Vientos and Michael King were great plays that easily cashed out. Now we look to replicate that same level of success before the break.
The slate is completely full today with every team playing. There are so many props I like today, but I made sure to narrow it down to the best three on the board. Let’s try to get a perfect record heading into the weekend and the All-Star break. Time to see these props turn green tonight.
Hunter Brown Over 4.5 Hits Allowed (-160)
The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are both regaining form after a sluggish start to the season. The Astros are only two games back from the division, while the defending champion Rangers are still five games back from .500, but are catching some steam as of late. Tonight they face off in a rematch of last year’s ALCS where the Rangers upset their state rivals. The Rangers are home and that might spell big trouble for the Astros starter tonight.
Hunter Brown has been all over the place this season. He has had a few good starts, but there have been some starts where he gets rocked hard. One of those starts was in Global Life Field and it was not pretty. Brown allowed 8 hits, 5 earned runs, and 4 walks. Since then, he has improved, but I still do not believe in him.
Brown’s home ERA is 3.44, but he still continues to struggle against hot bats. The Rangers offense started slow but has picked it up as of late. Within the last 15 days, the Rangers have the second-best AVG and OPS in MLB. They are getting hot and they have the perfect matchup to continue that streak.
Ranger Suarez Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-130)
After his last two starts, some would think Ranger Suarez has lost his luster. However, I disagree. There was no way Ranger would keep an ERA at around 1.80 for the remainder of the season. Ranger is still a very good starter in this league and has proven it for the majority of the season. I believe tonight is the ideal setup for a bounce-back performance.
The super-hot Phillies host the Oakland Athletics, who are just trying to get through another dreadful season. The A’s are going to do one thing on offense every night and that is strike out. The A’s are the second-worst team in MLB in terms of K%. They also obtain a batting average of just .224 as a team. Ranger’s OBA at home is just slightly above that at .232.
Ranger is in desperate need of a bounce-back game and this is the perfect opportunity to do just that. I looked through his props and decided to go with the strikeouts. Granted Ranger has had a few duds in terms of his Ks, but I feel really strong about this one tonight. This one might be a little bit of a stretch, but I expect a masterclass Ranger performance for the best team in baseball.
Garrett Crochet Over 7.5 Strikeouts (-145)
The league leader in strikeouts gets to play a team that strikes out a ton; of course, I am making this one of my plays. Garrett Crochet has been the subject of trade rumors for what seems like since the start of the season. Despite the rumors, Crochet has performed at such a high level.
Crochet is the leader in strikeouts and is in the 97th percentile in K%, while also placing in the 92nd percentile in Whiff%. His opponent for today is the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are one of the worst offenses in baseball. They are the fifth-worst team in K%, while also holding the fourth-worst batting average.
The Pirates also struggle against left-handed pitchers. They strikeout the fourth-most versus lefties in MLB. Crochet is also pitching at home where he has a 2.38 ERA, .201 OBA, and 46 more strikeouts compared to on the road. The matchup speaks volumes tonight for Crochet facing off against the Pirates. This might be one of the last times Crochet gets to pitch for the White Sox at home and he might want to make it a special one. I can Crochet going for double-digit Ks again and that is why I love this play so much.
Noel is from Philadelphia, PA. He went to West Chester University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications in Media & Culture.
