MLB Player Props & Best Bets Today for August 12: Cortes Cruises

Nestor Cortes is stretched out enough that navigating the worst lefty-hitting lineup in baseball for a touch more than five innings is an appealing wager to make.

Neil Parker - Analyst at Covers.com
Neil Parker • Betting Analyst
Aug 12, 2025 • 11:14 ET • 4 min read
Nestor Cortes San Diego Padres MLB
Photo By - Imagn Images. Padres SP Nestor Cortes winds up to deliver a pitch.

We’re in the heart of the MLB stretch drive, and it’s another busy night on the diamond with all 30 teams hitting the field.

My top MLB player props feature a trio of starting pitchers set to toe the rubber on Tuesday, August 12.

Best MLB player props today

  • Rockies Freeland u17.5 outs (-130)
  • Astros Arrighetti u5.5 Ks (-120)
  • Padres Cortes o15.5 outs (+125)

Our 3 best MLB player props for Tuesday, August 12

Take a look at our best bets and expert analysis below.

Kyle Freeland Under 17.5 outs recorded (-130 at FanDuel)

The St. Louis Cardinals have been sneaky against southpaws, with a fifth-ranked wOBA and the third-highest on-base percentage since the All-Star break, so this won’t be an easy test for Colorado Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland

Plus, the veteran sports a miserable 5.27 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and 4.71 xFIP while allowing a healthy .358 wOBA on the highway since the beginning of the 2023 campaign.

  • Time: 7:45 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: COLR, FDSNMW

Spencer Arrighetti Under 5.5 strikeouts (-120 at BetMGM)

Houston Astros righty Spencer Arrighetti has been hit hard in consecutive starts (12.27 ERA and 2.45 WHIP) since returning from a broken thumb, and he wasn’t sharp during his rehab assignments in the minors (5.73, 1.45), either. 

This checks out as a daunting matchup, too. The Boston Red Sox sport the fourth-highest wOBA against righties with a below-average 21.3 K% since the calendar flipped to July.

  • Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: NESN, SCHN

Nestor Cortes Over 15.5 outs recorded (+125 at BetMGM)

The San Francisco Giants have the lowest wOBA against lefties this season, and San Diego Padres southpaw Nestor Cortes has been stretched out long enough to cruise Over this outs total. 

He completed six frames against the Cincinnati Reds on August 3, after all. Additionally, I’m not overreacting to an abbreviated road start against the Arizona Diamondbacks last time out. The San Francisco lineup will be much easier to navigate.

  • Time: 9:45 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: SDPA, NBCSBA

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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Neil Parker - Covers
Betting Analyst

Neil Parker is, first and foremost, a sports fan. A huge supporter of the Cowboys, Cubs, and Maple Leafs, he has managed to parlay his passion into writing gigs at some of the top websites in the industry.

Neil takes a numbers-based approach to his handicapping and complements his in-depth statistical analysis with a keen eye on the markets to provide the best available odds. He loves to lean on his rolodex of idioms to offset his inner nerd. When it comes to wagering, he throws down on anything that catches his eye at bet365, Betway and BetVictor. He also keeps a close eye on CoolBet because the polar bear brand often has outlier NHL and NFL moneyline prices.

Neil graduated with honors from St. Thomas University in 2007 before completing his BEd at Acadia University in 2010. After teaching a myriad of courses and subjects, he found a groove delivering fun lessons to exceptional learners in non-traditional classroom environments. If his decade-plus teaching run taught him anything about sports betting, it’s to stay the course and use the summer – or offseason – to refresh and prepare to be better in the year to come.

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