Spring baseball means there may still be a chill in the air, but one of our favorite MLB prop bets is heating things up for today’s action.
Yup, that heat you're feeling is the return of Bieber Fever, as Shane Bieber takes the ball for Cleveland tonight against Lucas Giolito and the Chicago White Sox. But with a pitching matchup this good, is the five-inning total too low for even the hottest baseball betting trend around?
We bring you that and more with our best MLB free prop bets and predictions for Tuesday, April 13.
Today’s MLB props and picks
Cleveland-Chicago Under 3.5 First-Five Innings (-120)
For those of you looking to come down with your first case of Bieber Fever and wondering what it is, it refers to betting the Under first five innings when Shane Bieber is on the bump for Cleveland. This MLB prop bet has been insanely profitable, cashing in 13 of Bieber’s last 14 starts.
So, why is this bet so great? Well, first and foremost, Bieber is awesome. The defending American League Cy Young Award winner is off to another strong start this season. Despite his ERA being a little higher than you would like at 3.65, he still has an opponent batting average of .174 and has recorded 12 strikeouts in each of his first two starts.
While the White Sox boast a strong lineup, Bieber has a 3.04 ERA and has 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings in his last four starts against them.
But what makes this bet so profitable is the fact that for the past couple of seasons the Cleveland bats couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat. And while their numbers are a little better this season, they’ve spent the early part of the year playing only Kansas City and Detroit.
Lucas Giolito will prove a much tougher test for a Cleveland lineup that's still just hitting .200 against right-handed pitching this season. While this number is low, there’s no way we can stave off another case of Bieber Fever.
Blue Jays Five-Inning Moneyline (+105)
The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays played another close game in the opener of their latest series last night with the Bronx Bombers pulling out a 3-1 win.
The Yanks were able to secure the victory thanks to another strong start from Gerrit Cole and two home runs from Kyle Higashioka, of all people, to do all the scoring. But outside of Higashioka, the Bronx Bombers have not been living up to their name this season, scoring just 4.01 runs per game and now have to deal with one of the best pitchers in the American League in Hyun-Jin Ryu.
Toronto's ace is off to a solid start himself with a 2.92 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. He has also pitched well against the Yanks, giving up just two runs on nine hits over 12 1-3 innings in his last two starts against them, which includes Opening Day.
The Yankees are countering with Jameson Taillon, who was solid in his first start in pinstripes but only lasted 4 2-3 innings and gave up two home runs. With that in mind, the Blue Jays are a good bet to have the lead through five innings in this one.
Dylan Bundy Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-140)
People like to laugh at the idea of Dylan Bundy being the Angels’ No. 1 starter but they shouldn’t. All that kid needed was to get out of Baltimore because since joining the Angels, he’s been fantastic.
In his first season with Los Angeles, Bundy pitched to a 3.29 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP and had the best strikeout rate of his career at 9.9 per nine innings and he has carried that momentum over into 2021.
The right-hander has a 3.75 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP over his first two starts this season and has racked up 16 punchouts in just 12 innings pitched. Tuesday night, he and the Halos visit a Kansas City Royals team that strikes out the third most in baseball at 11 times per game.
This prop is a little juicy, but with a guy on the mound who consistently pitches into the sixth inning, it’s too tempting to pass up.
Yesterday's MLB record: 1-1, 0.15 units
Season MLB betting record: 17-19, -3.64 units
MLB betting card for April 13
- CLE-DET Under 3.5 First-Five Innings (-120)
- Blue Jays Five-Inning Moneyline (+105)
- Dylan Bundy Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-140)
Picks made 04/13/2021 at 12:15 p.m. ET
MLB parlays
Did you know that if you parlayed today’s MLB prop picks, you could win $54.43 on a $10 bet?
Use our MLB parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
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