MLB action returns tonight following the All-Star break with the unofficial second-half season opener stacked with a whopping 17 games on the schedule thanks to some doubleheaders. That means a cornucopia of MLB prop bets for hungry baseball bettors to dive into.
Today, we find some value with a trio of starters who had outstanding first halves. We break down and pick these games and more with our best free MLB prop bets and predictions for Friday, July 16.
Today’s MLB props and picks
Pirates Team Total Under 3.5 (-140)
The New York Mets are in first place in the National League East coming out of the All-Star break and a big reason for that is their outstanding starting pitching. Jacob deGrom is having an all-time season and Taijuan Walker is an All-Star, but you can’t forget about Marcus Stroman.
The right-hander has been excellent in his own right, pitching to a 2.75 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. Stroman is a master of messing up a hitter’s timing with his mix of pitches and hesitations in his delivery and should be able to show that off against the AAA Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Pirates rank 28th in batting average and 29th in scoring facing right-handed pitchers this season. While Stroman gave up three runs in five innings against the Pirates last time they faced right before the break, he’ll be motivated to start the second half of the season strong. Bet him to do just that.
Robbie Ray Over 8.5 Strikeouts (+115)
What a bounce-back season for Robbie Ray. The lefty is having his best year since his 2017 All-Star campaign. Ray, with his tight pants and loud grunts, has been the Blue Jays' best starter halfway through the season.
He's pitching to a 3.13 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP, thanks in large part to the best strikeout-to-walk rate of his career. Yes, the southpaw is striking out 5.42 batters for every one he walks and his 2.1 walks per nine innings is the lowest of his career. It’s crazy what throwing strikes will do.
Ray takes the ball for the opener of the Jays' second half of the season as they welcome the Texas Rangers to town. The Rangers rank 19th in strikeouts per game and have struck out the 10th-most against left-handers this season.
With Ray striking out 12.95 batters per nine innings over his last eight starts and going Over this number five times in that span, this is good value for him to go Over once again.
Cardinals Team Total Under 3.5 (-120)
In any normal season, Kevin Gausman would be getting plenty of Cy Young hype for the first half he had. Too bad for Gausman, Jacob deGrom exists.
That said, the San Francisco Giants right-hander has been outstanding, and a big part of the Giants' surprising surge to the top of the National League West. Gausman is pitching to a 1.73 ERA, an 0.82 WHIP, and is limiting opponents to a .159 batting average.
That is bad news for the St. Louis Cardinals, who sit in fourth place in the NL Central. One of the reasons for that is how bad the Cards have been against right-handed pitchers this season. St. Louis ranks 23rd in batting average and 26th in OPS when it comes to facing righties. That ain’t good.
Gausman also limited the Cards to two runs on three hits while striking out eight over seven innings of work in an eventual 5-3 Giants win back on July 5. Bet on him to keep the Cards down once again.
MLB betting card for July 16
- Pirates Team Total Under 3.5 (-140)
- Robbie Ray Over 8.5 Strikeouts (+115)
- Cardinals Team Total Under 3.5 (-120)
Picks made on 7/16/2021 at 12:15 p.m. ET
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