The MLB trade deadline is in the rearview mirror, as most newly acquired players have joined their new teams for the stretch run. This means new baseball props to dive into!
Today, we take a look at Josiah Gray, who makes his first start for Nationals since coming over from the Dodgers in the mega-Max Scherzer and Trea Turner deal. Plus we examine if new Giant Kris Bryant can power San Fran to a strong start against the Diamondbacks?
We break down and pick these games and more with our best free MLB prop bets and predictions for Monday, August 2.
Today’s MLB props and picks
George Springer Over 1.5 Total Bases (-115)
It seems like every month the Blue Jays have another guy who is the hottest hitter in baseball. Now, it’s George Springer’s turn. The Jays’ big offseason free-agent acquisition is finally starting to look like the guy they invested all that money in.
Springer is hitting .385 with a 1.332 OPS, while slugging six dingers and driving in 11 runs, over his last 14 games. The Jays’ center fielder will look to stay hot as they welcome the Cleveland soon-to-be Guardians to Toronto for a four-game set.
Cleveland starter Eli Morgan will be tasked with slowing down Springer and the hard-hitting Jays. Toronto gave Morgan a rude welcome to the MLB, smacking him around for six runs on eight hits in 2 2-3 innings in his MLB debut back on May 28th.
Since then, Morgan has settled down and been a bit more consistent. The right-hander has pitched at least five innings, allowing four earned runs or fewer in each of his last five starts. The problem for Morgan is that he is finding too much of the plate with his fastball that averages just over 90 miles per hour.
As a result, he gets barreled up far too often and ranks in the Bottom-10 percentile in the MLB when it comes to expected ERA, expected batting average, and expected slugging. Bet on Springer to have another big day at the dish.
Philadelphia-Washington Over 4.5 Five-Inning Total (-120)
Josiah Gray makes his Washington Nationals debut, after being a key piece in the trade that sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers , when he takes the mound Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Gray has allowed six runs on seven hits over his first eight big-league innings. While Gray has shown some promise, striking out 13 batters in that time, he has also surrendered four dingers. Now, he faces a Phillies team that has hit the sixth-most home runs since the beginning of June. On top of that, the Phillies plated 22 runs in last week’s series against the Nationals.
Countering Gray is Ranger Suarez. The Phillies long-relief man makes his first start of the season and while he has pitched well with a 1.12 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP, the Phillies bullpen overall has not been good. As a team, they rank 20th in ERA, 25th in WHIP, and 26th in opponent batting average.
And despite the wholesale sell-off, this is a Nationals team that is hitting the ball well recently. Washington ranks fourth in batting average and third in OPS over the last 15 days (13 games). That includes putting up 22 runs themselves in that Phillies series last week.
Bet on the scoring to be early and often in this one.
Giants -0.5 Five-Inning Runline (-125)
As seemingly every postseason contender made an upgrade at last Friday’s trade deadline, the San Francisco Giants weren’t going to be left out in the cold, trading for Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant.
Bryant wasted no time making an impact for the Giants, launching a home run in his first game as San Fran continues to roll at the top of the National League West standings.
San Francisco has recorded back-to-back series wins over other World Series hopefuls in the L.A. Dodgers and the Houston Astros, and now leads the NL West by 3.5 games as they visit the basement-dwelling Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Giants hand the ball to Anthony DeSclafani for the opener of this four-game set in the desert, and while the Dodgers have given DeSclafani some trouble this season, he has fared well against almost everyone else.
The right-hander owns a 3.10 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP this season but on the road, he sports an impressive 2.50 ERA with a 0.97 WHIP. Additionally, in two starts against the D-backs this season he has allowed three earned runs on 11 hits in 13 2-3 innings of work.
The D-backs counter with Taylor Widener. The right-hander has made eight starts this season and while he has a respectable 4.42 ERA, his 5.67 FIP and 1.42 WHIP show that ERA could be higher. And now he faces a Giants team that ranks in the Top 10 in almost every major hitting category.
Bet the Giants to have the lead through five.
MLB betting card for August 2
- George Springer Over 1.5 Total Bases (-115)
- PHI-WAS Over 4.5 Five-Inning Total (-120)
- Giants -0.5 Five-Inning Runline (-125)
Picks made on 8/2/2021 at 11:46 a.m. ET
MLB parlays
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