It's traveling Thursday in Major League Baseball which means only nine games on the MLB betting board and plenty of early matchups, but there are still lots of MLB prop bets to sink our teeth into.
Today we back an all-time great in the twilight of his career, fade a struggling offense versus a breakout pitcher, and expect some regression for a rookie starter who began his career with a dream debut last month.
Here are our favorite free MLB prop bets and predictions for Thursday, September 16.
Today’s MLB props and picks
Miguel Cabrera Over 0.5 RBI (+215 at DraftKings)
Don't look now but future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera is putting up some strong numbers as he closes in on 3,000 career hits. The Detroit Tigers are averaging an impressive 5.54 runs per game in September and Miggy has led the way, slashing .395/.442/.553 with 12 RBI in 11 games this month.
Although it isn't easy to score runs against Tampa Bay at home, the Rays' pitching-by-committee approach hasn't looked great lately. As a collective unit over the last 15 days, Tampa Bay's pitchers are 21st in the majors with an ERA of 5.14 and rank 27th with an opponent batting average of .271.
Being able to grab the red-hot Cabrera at +215 to drive in at least a run is good value.
Padres Team Total Under 3.5 (-125 at Bet365)
Giants right-hander Kevin Gausman has enjoyed a breakout season for San Francisco, going 14-5 with a 2.65 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and an OBA of .198 across 29 starts.
Although he's coming off a pair of relatively rough starts where he surrendered three runs in each outing, it's worth mentioning that both games featured hitter-friendly environments (Coors Field and wind blowing out at Wrigley) and he fanned an impressive 18 batters over 13 innings.
Tonight, Gausman will face off against a San Diego lineup that has been horrible lately, ranking last in the majors in scoring (3.52 runs per game) and OPS (.618) over the last 30 days.
In three starts against the Padres this year, Gausman has allowed just three runs across 19 innings. With the Giants also boasting MLB's best bullpen behind him, take the Under on San Diego's team total.
Houston Team Total Over 5.5 (+105 at Bet365)
When the Rangers picked up prospect Glenn Otto in the Joey Gallo trade they were excited to add a young arm to a mediocre rotation. The 25-year-old made his big league debut less than three weeks ago and looked incredible, holding the Astros to two hits and striking out seven batters across five innings of shutout ball.
Otto's next outing wasn't quite as impressive as he gave up two runs through 4 2-3 innings versus the Angels, and he was rocked in his last start when he surrendered eight runs to the A's before getting the hook midway through the fourth inning.
While the future is bright for Otto, it won't be easy for him to make his way through the Astros' lineup like that again. After all, Houston has a stacked group of sluggers and ranks second in the majors with an OPS of .783, with that number jumping up to .847 over the last 15 days.
The Astros scored 15 runs during the first contest of this four-game set in Arlington and they plated seven runs last night. Expect the 'Stros to get to Otto this time around and take the Over on their team total.
MLB betting card for September 16
- Miguel Cabrera Over 0.5 RBI (+215)
- San Diego Team Total Under 3.5 (-125)
- Houston Team Total Over 5.5 (+105)
Picks made on 9/16/2021 at 12:05 p.m. ET
MLB parlays
Did you know that if you parlayed today’s MLB prop picks, you could win $104.25 on a $10 bet?
Use our MLB parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where can I bet on MLB props?
You can bet on MLB props at every online and casino sportsbook, including MLB player props, derivatives, and a ton of other MLB prop odds. Head over to our best-suggested sportsbooks for the top spots to bet on MLB props in your area.
