A suspect pitching matchup in tonight's Baltimore Orioles versus Los Angeles Dodgers matchup has me targeting a few batter props.
The pregame narrative: Teoscar Hernandez and Mookie Betts both crush lefties, and I think they can keep that up against Baltimore's Cade Povich. I'm also backing Colton Cowser and Gunnar Henderson in a plus-money hits parlay.
Check out my Orioles vs. Dodgers prop picks for Aug. 29.
Orioles vs. Dodgers prop picks
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Best Bet: Hernandez over 0.5 RBI (+125)
My only hesitation with this pick is the price. Hernandez has the shortest RBI odds in tonight's matchup, and these odds won't produce as juicy of a payout as most RBI props typically do.
Of course, there's a reason for that. This is about as promising of a situation as Hernandez could find himself in, so I'm taking the plunge nonetheless.
Hernandez has had a bountiful month in terms of RBI opportunities and results. His 31 plate appearances in August with runners in scoring position are tied for 10th in the majors — and he's batting .370 in those spots.
In August as a whole, Hernandez has 18 RBI and a .278/.330/.544 slash line.
I expect Hernandez and the Dodgers to rake against Baltimore Orioles starter Cade Povich, who is having a brutal summer.
In five starts between July and August, Povich has allowed 24 runs and a 1.008 OPS in 22.0 innings. L.A. has the fourth-highest OPS in the majors (.762) and should be able to stir up traffic on the basepaths.
And against a left-hander like Povich, Hernandez should be able to take advantage.
Key stat: Hernandez has a .923 OPS against lefties his season.
Quick picks
Betts over 0.5 runs (-125): Betts cashed this pick at +102 yesterday and I'm going back to the well tonight. He bats two spots ahead of Hernandez, so there's a chance I can hit both picks on one swing.
Betts has reached base 21 times in 14 starts since returning from the injured list, posting a .828 OPS in that span. He has also scored in three of his past four games.
The eight-time all-star ranks in the 98th percentile in both walk rate and K rate, per Baseball Savant. And he has a 1.002 OPS against LHPs since 2022.
Parlay: Cowser, Henderson 1+ hits each (+107): L.A. starter Bobby Miller has allowed 50 hits in just 39.2 innings this year (.313 opponent BA), so I think it makes sense to target some Orioles' hits props in a plus-money play.
Cowser, who tends to bat leadoff for the O's, has cashed this prop in 31 of his past 40 games and is batting .293 in that span.
Henderson, meanwhile, is batting .292 over his past 80 games and has cashed this prop 60 times in that span.
Recently, Henderson has gone through a bit of a rough patch. But his .289 BA against righties this year — paired with Miller's overall struggles — make this seem like a very attainable bet.
Picks made at 2:30 p.m. ET 08/29/2024.
