The Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks combined for 19 runs last night, and there are some enticing options on tonight's prop market.
The pregame narrative: Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy are my targets on the Dodgers' side as they look to get to D-backs starter Merrill Kelly. On Arizona's side, I'm liking what I've seen this month from Corbin Carroll.
Check out my Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks prop picks for Aug. 31.
Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks prop picks
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Best Bet: Muncy over 0.5 runs (+106)
I was torn between Muncy's bases prop and his runs prop for my best bet. Frankly, both look like good options.
After a two-month absence due to an oblique strain, Muncy didn't miss a beat when slotting back into the lineup on Aug. 19. He has a .269/.406/.654 slash line in nine games since then, reaching base 13 times in nine games.
The Dodgers, who've scored 5.3 runs per game this month, look poised for another strong night against Kelly. L.A.'s current lineup is batting .303 with a .491 SLG against Kelly in a whopping 256-plate-appearance sample.
And Muncy is at the centre of that success. He's 14-for-37 (.378) with six walks and five extra-base hits against Kelly.
Batting in the back half of L.A.'s lineup means Muncy typically doesn't have as strong of a chance to score.
But he's been excellent in this head-to-head matchup, and the Dodgers' lineup has enough overall success against Kelly that I think he's worth a go at this price.
Key stat: Muncy has scored seven runs in nine games since returning from the injured list.
Quick picks
Freeman over 0.5 RBI (+140): Looking higher up in the Dodgers' lineup, I expect Freeman to have some RBI opportunities with two bonafide studs batting ahead of him.
Freeman, the No. 3 hitter, bats after Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts. Ohtani has reached base 21 times in his past 12 games, while Betts has scored in five of his past six.
In his past 11 games, Freeman has had 17 plate appearances with runners in scoring position. That's about all you can ask for as a potential RBI producer.
The eight-time all-star is 8-for-29 with six extra-base hits (.552 SLG) against Kelly.
Carroll over 1.5 bases (+118): Finally, Carroll found his power stroke.
Entering August, Carroll had an inexplicably low .358 SLG. He's almost doubled that mark this month.
In his past 26 games, the lightning-quick outfielder has a .278/.346/.680 slash line. He's cashed this bet in 12 of 22 August starts.
Carroll's sample size against L.A. starter Gavin Stone is small but respectable: 2-for-6 with a double. I'm more interested in Carroll's resurgence as a whole, which has been very encouraging to see.
Picks made at 11:10 a.m. ET 08/31/2024.
