Wednesday's MLB slate is flooded with early games but it's still a full schedule that sees every team in action.

The pregame narrative: I'm targeting a pair of Los Angeles Angels in Mike Trout and starter Reid Detmers, and also have a fade on the Chicago Cubs' Jordan Wicks.

Check out the best MLB prop bets for April 17.

MLB prop bets

Best bet: Detmers over 17.5 outs (-139)

The Angels southpaw has been dominant, silencing the Baltimore Orioles once and the Boston Red Sox twice.

Take a look at these numbers:

• 3 hits or fewer in every start
• 1 run or fewer in every start
• 7+ Ks in every start
• 0 home runs allowed

Detmers has a 1.04 ERA and 0.81 WHIP. The Angels have won each of his three outings.

Los Angeles hasn't gotten more than five innings out of a starter since Detmers' last turn in the rotation. The team plays again tomorrow and is in a stretch of games in 13 consecutive days.

This bullpen could use a bit of a breather and Detmers is the guy to reward them.

Detmers upped his strikeout rate last year and is the early MLB leader with a 40.6 K%. He matched a career-high with 12 versus Boston two starts ago.

While that's not sustainable, he gets a good matchup at a great ballpark, leading me to believe he can string together another strong outing at pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field.

Tampa Bay has been slightly above average versus lefties but has the ninth-highest K rate against them. And the Rays haven't hit southpaws for power (23rd in ISO).

Key stat: Detmers has topped this line in each of his last two starts.

Quick picks

Trout over 1.5 bases (-103): I've recommended this multiple times this season and will continue to play it as long as it's in plus-money territory.

Through 17 games, Trout is bashing .284/.360/.672 with seven homers. He's sixth in the majors in slugging and ninth in OPS (1.032).

With the caveat that it's still early, Trout has never posted a higher SLG% or wRC+ (190) in a single season.

Trout has cleared this line in six of his last nine games, including on April 10 against tonight's Rays starter Zack Littell. Trout walked, singled and doubled against him.

Wicks under 4.5 Ks (-122): This is a light line that Wicks has cleared in all three starts.

But he faces the Arizona Diamondbacks, the most difficult team in the majors to strike out. Arizona has a measly 14.4 K% versus lefties, a rate that three teams alone are doubling.

Starting pitchers are 4-14 against this line versus Arizona. Left-handed starters are 2-7. Max Fried (five) and Chris Sale (six) were the two that topped it.

While Wicks might get a longer leash today after the Cubs used six relievers in a 10-inning game Tuesday, he has failed to log five innings in any of his three starts.

Wicks has struggled with control, surrendered four-plus runs twice and didn't have gaudy strikeout numbers entering this season.

He has gotten the bulk of his Ks off a four-seamer he throws nearly 50% of the time, a pitch the Diamondbacks are handling better than any team in the NL (according to Statcast data, via FanGraphs).

Picks made at 11:57 a.m. ET 04/17/2024.