Expert MLB Player Props Today: Bet on Gerrit Cole, Mitch Keller and Spencer Strider on Friday, August 25th

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Best Bets on Today’s MLB Player Props Market 

We’re in the final stretch of the 2023 MLB season and VSiN continues to have you covered with every way you can possibly bet on a baseball game. As always, Adam Burke will have daily best bets to give you some ideas of what to back when it comes to moneylines, run lines and totals. However, I’m tackling player props here, and I’m targeting Gerrit Cole, Mitch Keller and Spencer Strider on Friday, August 25th. Keep reading to find out how I’m betting on all of them. 

 

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MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on August 25

Here are our favorite MLB prop bets for Friday, August 25th:  

New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays (-130, 7.5)

Gerrit Cole is coming off a very rough outing, as he gave up six earned runs on seven hits in 4.0 innings against the Boston Red Sox. Cole also gave up two homers in that game, and he just looked out of sorts right from the jump. But Cole rarely turns in two bad outings in a row, and I think the price on him to go Over 18.5 outs recorded is a little outrageous because of that one poor result.

Cole has pitched at least 6.1 innings in 10 of his 26 starts this season, and he did it in four consecutive starts before failing to do so in his last two. Now, Cole gets to face a Rays team that he pitched 7.0 innings of two-run ball against on August 2nd. And overall, this Tampa Bay offense hasn’t been nearly as good in the second half of the season as it was in the first. So, I love these odds on Cole to work relatively deep in this game. And it doesn’t hurt that New York needs to start starting together wins fast.

Bet: Cole Over 18.5 Outs Recorded (+130)

Chicago Cubs (-120, 9) at Pittsburgh Pirates

For as good as Mitch Keller has looked for the Pirates this year, he has also had his fair share of ugly outings. And one thing the righty has struggled with is his control. This season, Keller has had 14 starts in which he has walked at least two batters, which means he has done so in more than half of his outings. With that in mind, I like the price on Keller to walk at least two hitters in tonight’s meeting with the Cubs. Chicago has the fifth-highest walk rate in baseball this season, so this is a team that does make opposing pitchers work hard in every at-bat. That said, Keller could flirt with disaster quite a bit in this one, so I see him walking at least two batters here.

Bet: Keller Over 1.5 Walks (-155) 

Atlanta Braves (-155, 7.5) at San Francisco Giants

It’s never easy to count on a pitcher to strike out at least nine batters, but it’s not as tough to swallow when it’s Spencer Strider. Strider is coming off a 10-strikeout performance against this same Giants lineup on Friday, and he has now had at least nine strikeouts in 18 of his 25 starts this year. That means he has had at least nine strikeouts in 72.0 percent of his starts this season, yet that is the mark he’ll need to reach in order to cash his strikeout total Over against San Francisco tonight.

This Giants team has the fourth-highest strikeout rate in baseball this season, so you really can’t ask for a better matchup. I know San Francisco just faced Strider, so conventional wisdom would suggest these players will have a better approach for attacking the righty here. But I’d be surprised if Strider doesn’t whiff at least 10 in this game.

Bet: Strider Over 8.5 Strikeouts (-130) 

Did you know that you can parlay these three picks together at +569 odds? Try out our VSiN Parlay Calculator HERE!

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