It’s a light slate of MLB action to begin the week, with just five games on the schedule. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t light in MLB prop betting value!
We're starting the week by looking at a pair of prop bets for a couple of red-hot starters, and then we look at whether or not the New York Yankees can start plating some more runs on the road when they visit the Kansas City Royals.
We break down and pick those games with our best free MLB prop bets and predictions for Monday, August 9.
Today’s MLB props and picks
Reds -0.5 Five-Inning Runline (-130)
After a rough start to the season, it appears that Cincinnati Reds’ starter Luis Castillo has warmed up with the summer months. The Reds ace will look to stay hot when they visit the soon-to-be Cleveland Guardians.
Castillo is in the middle of a 12-start stretch where he is pitching to a 1.91 ERA and limiting opponents to a .199 batting average, recording a quality start 10 times in that span. Now, he goes against a Cleveland team that ranks 21st in the MLB when it comes to facing right-handed pitching.
Cleveland counters Castillo with rookie Sam Hentges. The lefty has bounced between long-relief appearances and the rotation throughout the season and things have not gone well when he has started.
Hentges has posted a 9.00 ERA and a 2.07 WHIP over eight starts this season and faces a Reds team that ranks second in batting average and OPS over the last month against left-handed pitching. Back the Reds to roll through five innings.
Freddy Peralta Over 16.5 Outs Recorded (-125)
The Milwaukee Brewers are the class of the National League Central and have built a five-game lead in the division, thanks in large part to their starting pitching. While Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff get most of the headlines, Freddy Peralta is also having an outstanding season.
Peralta, a first-time All-Star, is in an awesome 14-game stretch where he is pitching to a 1.76 ERA and is limiting opponents to a ridiculous .126 batting average. Today, he takes on the remainder of a Chicago Cubs team that really struggles against right-handed pitchers.
The Cubs, who are just running out the clock on the 2021 season after a massive trade deadline selloff, rank 28th in batting average and 23rd in OPS when it comes to facing righties. And that was when they had all their good players — so Peralta will have a chance to work deep into this one.
Peralta is averaging nearly six innings per start over this 14-start stretch and has recorded more than 16.5 outs 10 times over those 14 games. Bet him to go Over this number once again tonight.
Yankees-Royals Under 5.5 Five-Inning Total (-120)
The New York Yankees are making their postseason push, having won eight of their last 10 games, and sit just 1.5 games out of the second wild-card spot in the American League. But they may be involved in a surprising pitcher’s duel as they visit the Kansas City Royals.
The Yankees hand the ball to Jameson Taillon for Game 1 of this series and the right-hander has been a reliable starter for New York since the start of July. Taillon has pitched into the sixth inning in each of his last six starts and has given up a total of six earned runs over that stretch, earned AL Pitcher of the Month honors for July as well.
He faces a Royals lineup that ranks 27th in batting average and 28th in OPS over their last 21 games when facing right-handed pitching.
Kansas City counters Taillon with Carlos Hernandez, who makes just his fifth start of the season. The right-hander is a fireballer who has been excellent in his last two starts (both against the White Sox), allowing just one earned run on six hits over 11 innings.
While the Yankees have been winning, they still have some offensive issues. The Yankees rank 25th in batting average and 20th in OPS over their last 23 games. And on the road, the Yanks have plated just 3.1 runs per game over their last 10 contests. Bet on this one to low-scoring early.
MLB betting card for August 9
- Reds -0.5 Five-Inning Runline (-130)
- Freddy Peralta Over 16.5 Outs Recorded (-125)
- NYY-KC Under 5.5 Five-Inning Total (-120)
Picks made on 8/9/2021 at 12:06 p.m. ET
MLB parlays
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