It’s Memorial Day, which for MLB bettors means all-day prop betting to indulge in — and this holiday Monday we're indulging with some elite starters.
We start with none other than Dick Mountain himself Rich Hill, as the Tampa Bay Rays visit the New York Yankees. Can the Yanks summit this peak? And we close with one of our favorite MLB prop bets — deGrom Day — as Jacob deGrom takes the ball for the New York Mets against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
We break down and pick those games and more with our best free MLB prop bets and predictions for Monday, May 24.
Today’s MLB props and picks
Rich Hill Over 6.5 Strikeouts (+120) AND Under 2.5 Earned Runs (-140)
The pass of Dick Mountain has been as treacherous for opposing hitters as Caradhras being protected by an evil wizard.
Yes, our guy Rich Hill takes the ball for the Tampa Bay Rays as they open a series with the New York Yankees on Memorial Day, and the Rays have worked their magic again as the veteran lefty is pitching better than he has in years.
Simply put, Hill is dealing. He is pitching to a 1.26 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, limiting opponents to a .134 batting average, and has struck out 44 batters in 35 2-3 innings. That includes a ridiculous 13 his last time out against the Royals.
Monday, he faces a Yankees team that is really struggling at the dish. New York comes into this game off getting swept by the lowly Detroit Tigers, has scored two runs or less in five of its last six games, and ranks 26th in the MLB in scoring.
Now, they must climb Dick Mountain... something they haven’t been able to summit this season. Hill has had his way with the Yanks in two meetings this year, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out 16 in 12 2-3 innings of work.
Bet the Over on Hill’s strikeout prop and the Under on earned runs allowed with confidence.
Mike Minor Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-120)
It has been an up-and-down season for Mike Minor with the Kansas City Royals but the southpaw is starting to fool hitters on a more consistent basis. He’ll look to keep that up as he and the Royals host the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight.
Minor has struck at least seven batters in each of his last four starts and has 31 Ks in just 23 innings pitched over that span. That works out to an elite 12.13 strikeouts per nine innings.
While the Pirates don’t strike out a ton, those numbers may be a little inflated by the fact they haven’t exactly faced a murderer’s row of starters recently. And when they have faced top-end starters (such as Jack Flaherty and Yu Darvish) those whiff numbers have elevated. The Buccos also rank 26th in batting average and 28th in OPS versus lefties this season.
Additionally, Minor has already faced the Pirates once this season and while it wasn’t a great performance for him, he still managed six punchouts in just 4 1-3 innings. This number is too good to pass up.
Mets-Diamondbacks Under 3.5 Five-Inning Total (-110)
This year, Memorial Day is also deGrom Day. With yesterday’s game between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves getting postponed, Jacob deGrom’s start got pushed back to today — that means we get to bet one of our favorite MLB props this holiday Monday.
This will be deGrom's second start since coming off the IL for his sore side. The first start went well, as the right-hander limited the Colorado Rockies to one run on three hits while striking out nine with no walks — with his velocity looking as scary as ever.
The only concern surrounding deGrom is that he may be on some sort of pitch count but that feeds perfectly into deGrom Day as we only care about the first five innings. He faces an Arizona Diamondbacks team that ranks 20th in batting average and 25th in OPS against mortal right-handers over their last 13 games.
The D-backs counter with Merrill Kelly, who has been their most reliable starter this season as he has allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his last seven starts.
Yes, the Mets had a 13-run outburst their last time out but prior to that, they had scored more than four runs just once in their previous 10 games. They are still dealing with injuries and a lineup where deGrom is arguably their most productive hitter. They rank 25th in average and OPS and 28th in scoring.
Get ready to sound the deGrom gong!
MLB betting card for May 31
- Rich Hill Over 6.5 Strikeouts (+120)
- Rich Hill Under 2.5 Earned Runs Allowed (-140)
- Mike Minor Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-120)
- NYM-ARI Under Five-Inning Total (-110)
Picks made on 5/31/2021 at 11:09 a.m. ET
MLB parlays
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