A trio of big names headline Sunday’s MLB prop bets.
The pregame narrative: Jack Flaherty and Gerrit Cole are both pitching and I like each to have strong outings against the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago Cubs, respectively. Elsewhere, Bobby Witt Jr. is a good bet to score.
Check out the best MLB prop bets for Sept. 8.
MLB prop bets
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Best bet: Flaherty over 17.5 outs (-152)
Giving out a -152 best bet might seem like nasty work but the Dodgers need a deep outing from Flaherty today.
L.A. was forced into a bullpen game yesterday after Gavin Stone picked up an injury during the week. Seven relievers pitched one or more innings in a 7-3 victory.
Flaherty has had a solid year (3.01 ERA) and is living around this total since he joined the Dodgers on Aug. 6. In six starts with L.A., he’s cleared this line twice while landing on exactly 17 outs (5.2 IP) three other times.
The veteran righty has thrown north of 92 pitches in eight straight starts and is capable of having a workhorse-like outing against the struggling Guardians.
Cleveland has a formidable offence but it’s slumping at the moment. The team ranks 26th in wRC+ (90) and batting average (.226) versus righties over the last 30 days.
Flaherty has seen plenty of the Guards from his days with the Detroit Tigers and the results are favourable.
Key stat: Flaherty has cleared this total in four straight starts versus the Guardians and has held their lineup to a collective .226 batting average in 93 plate appearances.
Quick picks
Cole over 6.5 strikeouts (+120): I’ll go ahead and say it … Cole is back.
The reigning AL Cy Young winner put a rocky start behind him and owns a 1.85 ERA across six outings since Aug. 1. He owns a 10.6 K/9 in that span and has cleared this total four times, most recently fanning nine Texans in 6.0 innings.
The swing-and-miss stuff is coming back and that should scare the rest of MLB.
Cole’s 26.7% K rate ranks in Baseball Savant’s 77th percentile. The Cubs are a middle-of-the-pack team for both K and whiff rate, which doesn’t concern me.
The Yankees ace has a 25.0% K rate in 68 plate appearances against the Cubs’ current lineup.
Witt to score (-121): If Aaron Judge didn’t exist, Witt would be pounding on the AL MVP door.
He’s in the midst of one of the best-ever seasons for a shortstop and is leading MLB in batting average (.336), hits (191) and runs (118).
That alone could be the sell, but Witt has a favourable matchup coming his way, too.
The Minnesota Twins are trotting out Simeon Woods Richardson, who has a 5.79 ERA across his last seven starts.
Kansas City’s leadoff man should do damage.
Picks made at 9:48 a.m. ET on 09/08/2024.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.