MLB Player Props Odds, Picks: 2 Bets for Gerritt Cole & Reid Detmers (Saturday, August 20)
Sarah Stier/Getty Images. Pictured: New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole
It Saturday! What's so great about Saturday, you ask? Well, there are day games, of course. Today I've pinpointed two starters who will get the ball this afternoon who are in prime spots to succeed. So let's dive right into my top player props of the slate.
Our Action Labs Props Tool grades each prop on a scale from 1-10, and I'll be sure to include the grade for each of my betting recommendations in my discussions below.
Gerritt Cole Over/Under 5.5 Hits Allowed (+100/-130)
| Blue Jays @ Yankees | |
| First Pitch | 1:05 p.m. ET |
| Best Line: -130 | DraftKings |
The Yankees have been reeling of late, but they give the ball to the man they paid to be the stopper this afternoon, Gerrit Cole. Cole's stuff has still been as nasty as ever as he'll enter this start with a strikeout rate in the top 7 percent of the majors.
While strikeouts will undoubtedly help our case here, I'm focused on his ability to contain lineups. Home runs have been a problem for Cole this year as he's only 10 away from setting a new career high, but besides homers, opposing batters have not created much traffic for him.
Cole has an xBA of .213 on the season, which ranks inside the top 25 percent of all qualified pitchers. Add in his xBA of .252 against Toronto in his career, and we should see a solid outing from him today.
He surrenders an average of 4.7 hits per start and only gave up four in his outing against Toronto earlier this year. In addition, he's gone under this total 70.8 percent of the time this season, which gives us implied odds of -242 that he will go under again.
Pick: Under 5.5 Hits Allowed -130
Action Labs Grade: 8/10
Reid Detmers Over/Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-165/+130)
| Angels @ Tigers | |
| First Pitch | 1:10 p.m. ET |
| Best Line: -165 | DraftKings |
Reid Detemers has been a completely different pitcher since being recalled in July. He credits that to a mechanical adjustment that he made during his short stint in Triple-A.
Since coming back up, he's been lights out. Through his last six starts, he owns a 1.69 ERA and has struck out 47 batters in 36 innings of work. He should be able to continue that success today as he gets the ball against the Detroit Tigers.
Detroit has been one of the worst offenses in the league this season and what comes with that is a ton of strikeouts. The Tigers currently hold the fourth highest strikeout rate in the majors.
Detmers has gone over this total in his last eight starts, which includes two starts prior to his demotion. This new and improved version of Detemers should carve up the Tigers lineup his afternoon.
Pick: Over 5.5 Strikeouts -165
Action Labs Grade: 10/10
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