Tuesday's MLB prop bets target three stars at plus-money odds in promising matchups.
The pregame narrative: I'm picking Aaron Judge and Salvador Perez to have productive days at the plate, while Zack Wheeler should be able to rack up strikeouts against the Atlanta Braves.
Find out why in the best MLB prop bets for Aug. 20.
MLB prop bets
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Best bet: Judge over 1.5 bases (+100)
Judge doesn't see this kind of price often, so I'm jumping all over it.
The odds-on AL MVP favourite isn't showing any signs of slowing down, cashing this wager in six of his last seven games.
Tonight, the Guardians send Matthew Boyd to the mound. He's making his second start of the season after spending over a year on the injured list.
In his first outing, Boyd held the Cubs to one earned run on three hits in 5.1 innings. I'm skeptical, though, that we'll see a similarly dominant effort tonight.
The 33-year-old has a 4.92 ERA across 161 career MLB starts. That leads me to believe that his first post-IL start was more of a good day than a showcase of what's to come.
Judge has faced Boyd eight times in the past but only has three official at-bats due to drawing five walks.
To me, that's a good sign that Judge sees Boyd well and has a prime opportunity to do damage tonight.
Key stat: Judge has totalled 15 bases in his last five games.
Quick picks
Perez over 0.5 RBI (+118): The long-time Royals catcher has fashioned another all-star campaign thanks to his production at the plate.
Perez is slashing .278/.336/.472 with 22 homers and 85 RBI. He's driven in runs at a high clip recently, with 10 RBI over his last nine games.
That brings me to Angels starter Tyler Anderson (9-11, 3.30). He has good stats this season, but Perez has succeeded against him in the past.
Perez is 5-for-17 (.294) with four extra-base hits and a .647 SLG.
The other part of this equation is the fact that Perez hits behind Bobby Witt Jr. The Royals shortstop leads MLB in hits (174) and runs (108). Witt reaches base frequently and is a big reason for his teammate's high RBI total.
Wheeler over 7.5 strikeouts (+135): Wheeler is well seasoned against the Braves' offence.
In a whopping 265 plate appearances, Atlanta's lineup has just 55 hits and Wheeler along with 79 strikeouts. That equates to a 29.8% K rate for Wheeler against the Braves.
The Phillies ace has cleared this line in two of his last three starts and boasts a 9.8 K/9 (12th-highest in MLB).
This is a high number for any pitcher to clear. But at +132, I'm willing to take the risk on Wheeler.
Picks made at 12:52 p.m. ET on 08/20/2024.
