There’s a full slate of MLB action on Wednesday night, and I’m indirectly backing Tarik Skubal in one of my three picks.
Today’s MLB props narrative: Skubal, who’s facing the Pittsburgh Pirates, has been basically untouchable over the past month — especially for lefties. Elsewhere, Milwaukee Brewers youngster Jacob Misiorowski looks to build off a dazzling MLB debut.
Check out the best MLB prop bets for June 18, also featuring Jose Altuve.
MLB prop bets
Best Bet: Cruz under 0.5 hits (-106)
To get a hit, you have to put the ball in play. I’m not confident in Cruz doing that in tonight’s matchup against Tarik Skubal.
Among 158 qualified hitters vs. left-handed pitching, Cruz ranks …
- 155th in K rate (37.7%)
- 24th in walk rate (14.3%)
That means 52.0% of his plate appearances against LHPs finish without a ball in play — the third-highest rate in the majors.
Now add in the fact that the nastiest left-hander in the sport, Tarik Skubal, is on the mound tonight.
Skubal has held left-hitting players to 12 hits (.156 BA) while posting 26 strikeouts (32.9 K%) so far.
And he’s been absurdly effective in his past four starts: 30.2 innings, 15 hits, one run, 32 Ks.
You think Cruz is going to flip the script in a lefty-lefty matchup against arguably the best pitcher in the world? I don’t. And a plus-money price for him to stay hitless looks like a bargain.
Key stat: Cruz is 8-for-65 (.123) vs. LHPs this year with 29 strikeouts.
Best MLB picks
Altuve over 0.5 RBI (+140): This has been a season of great upheaval for Altuve, as he finally relinquished his starting post at second base along with the leadoff spot in the Astros’ order.
But as Altuve bounces between left field, designated hitter and second base on the fielding side of things, it seems he’s found a home in the No. 3 spot of Houston’s lineup.
After sliding from leadoff to No. 2, Altuve moved into the No. 3 spot on May 19 — and he’s been raking ever since.
- 26 games
- .320 BA
- .922 OPS
- 17 RBI
I wanted a way to back someone on Houston in the hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park, where the Athletics have temporarily claimed a home.
Sutter is 25% more offence-friendly than the average stadium this year, per Baseball Savant.
A’s starter Luis Severino knows that all too well. In nine home starts, he has a 7.10 ERA and an .819 opponent OPS.
Misiorowski over 4.5 Ks (-125): Misiorowski was even better than advertised in his MLB debut on June 12, tossing 5.0 hitless innings (with five strikeouts) against the Cardinals.
During his debut, Misiorowski touched 102 mph with his fastball and garnered a 35.1% whiff rate. For context, only 16 MLB pitchers have a higher whiff rate than that in 2025.
The consensus top-100 prospect slipped on the mound early in the sixth inning and exited due to cramping. He was only at 86 pitches, so clearly there was more left in the tank.
With stuff as potent as what Misiorowski has, I think this is a very doable number. The Chicago Cubs aren’t a high-strikeout team, but they also haven’t seen this 6-foot-7 flamethrower in action yet.
MLB prop picks made at 1:45 p.m. ET on 06/18/2025.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.