For my Friday MLB player props, I'll be backing a pair of star hitters in the late slate: Manny Machado and Shohei Ohtani.
However, we'll begin in Texas, where Nathan Eovaldi will get the ball in Game 2 against the Astros.
Let's dive into my MLB player prop picks and Major League Baseball picks for the games on Friday, May 16.
Note: While parlaying these picks isn't our official recommendation, we've put together an easy way to do so below.
MLB Prop Picks — Friday, May 16
- Nathan Eovaldi Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-145 · BetMGM)
- Manny Machado Over 2.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (+125 · BetMGM)
- Shohei Ohtani Over 2.5 Total Bases (+105 · BetMGM)
Astros vs Rangers Player Props: Look for Eovaldi To Pile Up Ks
Last night, Hunter Brown and Jacob deGrom had one of the best pitchers' duels thus far, with Brown taking a hard-luck 1-0 defeat.
deGrom worked eight shutout innings while striking out seven, and Nathan Eovaldi will look to pick up where he left off.
Thus far, Eovaldi has been dominant. He's 4-2 with a 1.78 ERA and 0.75 WHIP, leading the MLB in WHIP and ranking sixth in ERA.
Eovaldi is also 11th in strikeouts with 60 in his first nine starts. He has recorded at least seven strikeouts in seven of those starts, including each of the last five, and struck out seven in his last start against the Astros last July.
The Astros aren't the easiest team to strike out, as they rank 18th in strikeout rate against right-handed pitchers this season.
However, they're currently missing their biggest bat with Yordan Alvarez on the IL and have scored just six runs in their last three games.
Eovaldi ranks in the 75th percentile or better in strikeout rate, whiff rate and chase percentage.
He has also worked six innings in each of the seven starts in which he has cleared this number. At least one strikeout per inning should get him over this mark once again.
Mariners vs Padres Player Props: Great Matchup for Machado
Manny Machado has hit 345 home runs in his career and 30 or more six times.
With that in mind, I was certainly surprised when I noticed the other day that he had just three over a month into the season. Although he's not currently launching many homers, he's still getting on base at a high clip.
Machado ranks fifth with a .340 batting average and 19th with a .901 OPS. He's currently on a 14-game hitting streak and has recorded two hits in eight of those games.
Tonight, he'll get his first look at Logan Evans as the Mariners head to San Diego. The rookie has been hit hard by right-handers to the tune of a .353/.405/.964 slash line, two home runs and eight runs batted in through his first three starts.
Machado is hitting .333 against right-handed pitchers. As a result of his hitting streak, he has recorded at least two hits + runs + runs batted in during each of those games.
While some books may still have 1.5 H+R+RBI, it will likely be at 2.5 everywhere by first pitch, and that's just fine.
Machado has cleared this line in 11 of his last 14 games, averaging 3.4 per game in that span. At +125, I'll certainly back him again.
Angels vs Dodgers Player Props: Ohtani Will Keep Raking
Shohei Ohtani has spent the last two days beating up on an old AL West foe, with the Dodgers taking two out of three from the Athletics.
Three of his four hits in his last two games have been home runs. He is up to 15 this year and is tied for the MLB lead with Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber.
He's below +200 odds for a home run as his former team heads to Dodger Stadium.
In May, Ohtani is hitting .358 with eight home runs, 18 runs batted in and a 1.369 OPS.
He has raised his batting average from .277 to .310, aided by six multi-hit games. That has helped him clear this line in seven of his last 10 games.
Tonight, Ohtani faces Angels right-hander Jack Kochanowicz, a matchup I love for him.
Kochanowicz ranks in the 19th percentile or worse in hard-hit percentage, average exit velocity, whiff rate and strikeout rate. Left-handers are hitting .308 with two doubles, six home runs, 18 RBI and a .906 OPS against him this season.
Ohtani has 18 extra-base hits, including 13 home runs against right-handers this season. Another home run will clear this line with four bases. However, he can also get there with a double and a single.
