Thursday, April 6 MLB Props | Ronald Acuna Jr., Will Smith, More Today
Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images. Pictured: Will Smith (Dodgers)
- It's a small MLB slate on Thursday but still plenty of value to be found in the props market.
- In addition to Kevin Gausman this afternoon, our analyst is targeting hitters Ronald Acuna Jr. and Will Smith tonight.
- Continue reading for a full breakdown of the best prop bets from the MLB slate on Thursday, April 6th.
An expected 10-game MLB slate has already been stripped to six after four matchups were postponed due to inclement weather. However, there are still plenty of spots to take advantage of.
The Blue Jays and Royals will be concluding their four-game series in Kansas City. Toronto will send Kevin Gausman to the mound against a struggling Royals offense.
Meanwhile, the Braves and Diamondbacks are among the teams having their home openers.
The Braves at home vs. a left-handed pitcher is usually a smash, and Ronald Acuna Jr. could be the one to take advantage.
In Arizona, I am targeting the visitors. Will Smith has solid numbers, both against Merrill Kelly and at Chase Field. He will look to help the Dodgers spoil the Diamondbacks' home opener.
MLB Player Props For Thursday, April 6
Kevin Gausman Over 6.5 Strikeouts (+102)
| Matchup | Toronto Blue Jays vs. Kansas City Royals |
| First Pitch | 2:10 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | FanDuel |
After dropping the first game in Kansas City, the Blue Jays have taken the last two games and have allowed just one run in the process.
Last night, Alek Manoah tossed seven scoreless innings and allowed just one hit.
The Blue Jays will give Gausman the ball to try to secure the series victory.
Dating back to last season, Gausman has recorded seven strikeouts in seven of his last 10 starts. He had six in the two other starts in that span, as well.
He finished with seven strikeouts in his first start of 2023 against the Cardinals.
Gausman struck out six in his last start against Kansas City last year. However today, I like his chances of going over this line.
Through its first six games, Kansas City is averaging 2.3 runs and 8.3 strikeouts per game. The Royals have faced five right-handed starters this season and three of them (Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan and Jose Berrios) went over their strikeout props.
Lopez and Berrios both had at least seven, and that was with Berrios being hit around.
Kansas City is struggling offensively to start the season and should continue its issues against a pitcher of Gausman's caliber. I expect Gausman to dominate via strikeouts.
Pick: Kevin Gausman Over 6.5 Strikeouts (+102)
Ronald Acuna Jr. Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-115)
| Matchup | San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves |
| First Pitch | 7:20 PM ET |
| Best Line | DraftKings |
Blake Snell is one of the most talented — albeit inconsistent — left-handers in the league.
On Thursday night, he has a tough assignment against the Atlanta Braves. Last season, the Braves hit .265 — with a .782 OPS — against left-handed pitching.
There are several right-handed bats to choose from in this matchup — between Acuna, Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies — but I'm going with Acuna in this spot.
Acuna has gotten off to a hot start to begin the year, hitting .370 with two home runs and four runs batted in. He has cleared this line in five of his first six games. He is also averaging 3.5 hits + runs + runs batted in during this stretch. We just need two for him to go over this line.
As the leadoff hitter in potent Braves lineup, Acuna is a great candidate for this prop. If he gets a hit, Matt Olson and Riley are great run producers and are more than capable of knocking him in. They already have 12 runs batted in combined.
In yesterday's game, Acuna led off with a single and Olson knocked him in with an RBI double, which cashed this line for him in the very first inning.
Let's hope he cashes it that fast tonight.
Pick: Ronald Acuna Jr. Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + Runs Batted In (-115)
Will Smith Over 1.5 Total Bases (+105)
| Matchup | Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks |
| First Pitch | 10:10 PM ET |
| Best Line | DraftKings |
Smith has gotten off to a great start to his 2023 campaign. He is hitting .421 with three home runs and 10 runs batted in. He has cleared this line in four of the five games he has played in this season, totaling 19 bases in the process.
Five of his eight hits thus far this year have gone for extra bases. He has also homered in each of his last three games.
It would not be a surprise if Smith hit another home run tonight, as he owns a .832 OPS in 24 games at Chase Field.
He will be facing Kelly, and he is hitting .304 (7-for-23) with a home run and a double against him in his career.
This will be Smith's second look at Kelly already this season. He went 0-for-1 with a walk before Kelly departed after just 3.2 innings pitched.
Typically, when a hitter gets to face the same pitcher multiple times in a short span, it generally leads to positive results for the hitter. With Smith being a catcher, he is one of the first players you would expect to make any adjustments he needs to make against Kelly.
Given his hot start to the season, I like his chances of recording two bases in this matchup.
Pick: Will Smith Over 1.5 Total Bases (+105)
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