MLB Player Props for Friday, May 24
The 2024 MLB season is in full swing and we continue to come at it from a bunch of different directions. This season, VSiN Managing Editor Adam Burke will have you covered when it comes to MLB sides and totals in his daily best bets column. You’ll also get some First Five Inning analysis from Jonathan Von Tobel. On top of that, our analytics guru Steve Makinen will feed you some interesting trends and systems on a daily basis. But I’ll be focusing specifically on MLB player props this season, dishing out at least three per day every Monday to Friday. With that in mind, let’s get into the plays for Friday, May 24th.
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Los Angeles Dodgers at Cincinnati Reds – 7:10 pm ET
James Paxton has pitched at least 6.0 innings in each of his last three starts, so I find it hard to pass on him to do it again at plus-money odds. Paxton is also going up against a Reds team that has the second-worst wRC+ in baseball this season. Sure, Cincinnati is a little better against lefties than righties, but the team is only 21st in MLB in wRC+ against left-handed pitching. With that in mind, this is still a really good matchup for Paxton, and there’s no reason he can’t cruise on the road. I also like that Paxton has had four starts this season in which he has thrown at least 95 pitches. He has the type of leash required to go pitch deep into a game.
Pick: Paxton Over 15.5 Outs Recorded (+110 – 1.5 units)
Milwaukee Brewers at Boston Red Sox – 7:10 pm ET
Kutter Crawford might not flirt with double-digit strikeouts, but he has been pretty reliable in the K column this season. Crawford has had at least six strikeouts in seven of his 10 starts this season, and he has also done so in three of his last four outings. So, I feel pretty good about backing the righty to do it at plus-money odds. Milwaukee isn’t a team that strikes out at an alarming rate, but the lineup can occasionally struggle to make contact against right-handed pitching. The Brewers are a middle-of-the-pack group when it comes to strikeout rate against righties, which means they’re gettable if Crawford is on his game. Considering Crawford has allowed two or fewer earned runs in three of his last four starts, I think you can say he is.
Pick: Crawford Over 5.5 Strikeouts (+123)
Philadelphia Phillies at Colorado Rockies – 8:40 pm ET
You really have to pay up in order to back J.T. Realmuto to go Over on total bases or combined hits, runs and RBIs. His Over 1.5 total bases is heavily juiced, while his hits, runs and RBIs number is up at 3.5. I haven’t seen the latter too many times this season. But Realmuto is batting a ridiculous .365 with three doubles, three homers and seven RBIs against left-handed pitching, which is relevant considering he’s going up against lefty Ty Blach. Realmuto is also 2 for 5 against Blach in his career, so he has had success against this specific southpaw. Now, Realmuto gets to face him in hitter-friendly Coors Field, so it makes sense that he’s being expected to put up big numbers. But rather than deal with significant juice or go Over on a total that is set too high, I’ll take the plus-money odds on the slugger to drive in a run. There should be a lot of scoring tonight, so he should have opportunities to cash in.
Pick: Realmuto Over 0.5 RBIs (+110)
Thursday’s Plays
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