Tim Anderson took a long time to adjust to his new home in Miami, but the Marlins shortstop is finally beginning to see the ball well. Our MLB picks and player props for Tuesday, June 18 will target one of his markets as Cardinals vs. Marlins gets the action started on a busy Tuesday night around the diamond.
MLB props for June 18
- Tim Anderson Over 1.5 total bases (+170 at BetRivers)
- Nestor Cortes Over 17.5 outs (-106 at BetRivers)
- Logan Webb Over 5.5 strikeouts (+115 at BetMGM)
Picks made on 6-18 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
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Prop bet #1: Anderson awakens
Tim Anderson has had a rough 2024 with career-low marks in batting average and on-base percentage. But things have been exponentially better in the last two weeks for the Miami Marlins shortstop.
After hitting .188 through June 5, Anderson has since improved his batting average by 34 points. He has gone 12-for-29 in the last seven games and has batted .295 in the month of June alone.
He'll go against Lance Lynn of the St. Louis Cardinals tonight, whom he's gone 7-for-19 against, good for a .368 batting average. The two-time All-Star has also had a multi-hit game in five of his last seven outings, helping assist the hopes he can rack up multiple bases despite his lack of power as of late (zero extra -base hits since April 28).
Tim Anderson prop: Over 1.5 total bases (+170 at BetRivers)
Prop bet #2: Crafty Cortes
Nestor Cortes has one of the wonkier deliveries in baseball, but it clearly has been working for him. His 3.78 ERA and 1.16 WHIP this season is low by his standards, and on Tuesday night he will take the mound in what should be a favorable matchup against the Baltimore Orioles.
The New York Yankees starter has allowed just a .216 batting average against this roster and an arguably more impressive .302 slugging percentage. He has a strikeout rate of 33.6% across 149 plate appearances, and a 6.7% walk rate to boot.
Just two players on Baltimore's roster have a batting average above .225 with 15+ plate appearances to their name (Adley Rutschman and Jorge Mateo), while the likes of Ryan Mountcastle (1-for-21), Gunnar Henderson (1-for-7), and Cedric Mullins (2-for-21) have had extensive struggles.
Nestor Cortes prop: Over 17.5 outs (-106 at BetRivers)
Prop bet #3: Webb of deceit
Logan Webb is having another solid year for the San Francisco Giants, pitching to a 3.02 ERA after seasons of 3.25 and 2.90 in the last two. His ability to generate soft contact has been elite during that time, currently in the 94th percentile in ground ball percentage after finishing in the 99th percentile last year and the 96th percentile the year prior.
But on Tuesday night he may find himself tallying up the K's instead, as he gets the opportunity to pitch against the struggling Chicago Cubs. After a 24-17 start, the Cubs have gone just 10-22 since. They've failed to score more than three runs in six of their last 10 games.
The Cubs' 24% strikeout rate against righties this year is also the seventh-highest in the league, and Webb's 22.7% strikeout rate against this Chicago roster is notably higher than his mark against other rosters.
Logan Webb prop: Over 5.5 strikeouts (+115 at BetMGM)
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