MLB Props Today | Odds, Expert Picks for Bryan De La Cruz & More (Tuesday, May 23)

Last night, the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Texas Rangers, 6-4, and it marked the sixth consecutive game that the Rangers scored four runs or more.

Tonight, they have a favorable matchup against the veteran Rich Hill. A couple of free passes could help the Rangers put a few runs on the board.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves scored six runs in a losing effort last night.

Despite the loss, Atlanta is still 19-6 against rookie starting pitchers over the last two seasons. Rookie Bobby Miller will make his major league debut for the Dodgers. That could mean a big night for Matt Olson, who just happens to love Tuesday.

Finally, the Rockies are at home, which means you can usually count on a ton of runs on the board.

The Rockies won 5-3 last night, but Bryan De La Cruz had a big night in the loss for the Marlins. There's value on him tonight.

MLB Player Props For Tuesday, May 23

Rich Hill Over 1.5 Walks (-105)

Hill is 4-3 with a 3.80 ERA this season. He was able to make progress in lowering that ERA after he tossed six scoreless innings and allowed just one hit at Detroit last Wednesday.

However, despite the strong start, he still allowed two walks. Hill has walked two batters in seven of his nine starts this season.

Hill has allowed 15 walks in 47 1/3 innings this season.

Tonight, he faces a Rangers team that's fourth in walks percentage in the majors against left-handed pitchers.

He doesn't have an extensive history against the Rangers, but he's issued at least two walks to Robbie Grossman, Marcus Semien and Nathaniel Lowe.

Corey Seager is also 3-for-8 against Hill, so that's one hitter he could pitch around.

At props.cash, the implied odds of Hill issuing two walks is -350. With his hit rate this season, I would at least expect odds in the range of -175 or -180.

DraftKings is offering great value at -105 tonight. I'm jumping on it before the line moves.

Pick: Rich Hill Over 1.5 Walks

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Matt Olson Over 1.5 Total Bases (+105)

Olson probably doesn't know or care about FanDuel's "Dinger Tuesday" promotion, but Tuesday appears to be his favorite day of the week.

Last year, Olson hit 12 of his 34 home runs on Tuesdays, which led the league.

This season, he's tied for fourth, with three of his 13 home runs coming on Tuesdays. I was on him for two of those games, so hopefully tonight marks the third time.

In addition to today being a Tuesday, signs point to Olson having a big night. Over his past seven games, Olson is hitting .308 with two home runs, six runs batted in and a 1.092 OPS.

At SunTrust Park, Matt Olson is hitting .256 with six home runs and a .978 OPS. He has seven home runs on the road, but he's hitting .234 with a .861 OPS.

He's never faced the rookie Miller, but he has 11 home runs and a 1.039 OPS against right-handed pitchers. Olson drops to .193 with a .661 OPS against lefties.

Miller is a former first round pick and the top prospect in the Dodgers' farm system. However, he allowed 12 home runs and posted a 4.25 ERA in 112 1/3 innings across Double-A and Triple-A last season and has a 5.65 ERA in four starts this season.

He's a flamethrower, which Olson can handle. Olson has seven home runs off of fastballs this season, with an average exit velocity of 98.7 mph.

Overall, he ranks in the 100th percentile in average exit velocity and 97th percentile in hard hit percentage.

If you want to play Olson for the promo, he's +300 to hit a home run on FanDuel. He has five home runs in the first inning this season, so this may be a quick cash.

However, 24 of Olson's 42 hits this season have gone for extra bases. He's totaled two bases in five of his past seven games, and I like his chances of making it six out of tonight.

Pick: Matt Olson Over 1.5 Total Bases

Bryan De La Cruz Over 1.5 Total Bases (-110)

It didn't take De La Cruz time to acclimate to the friendly conditions of Coors Field.

Last night, he went 4-for-4 with four singles. However, lately it hasn't mattered where De La Cruz is hitting.

This month, De La Cruz has a hit in 16 of the 17 games that he's started, with five being multi-hit games. He's hitting .328 with a .905 OPS this month.

In the process, he's raised his batting average from .253 to .307.

De La Cruz has hit this line in eight of his 10 games, and he's averaging 3.1 total bases in that span. De La Cruz has hit three of his five home runs this season in the past 10 games. He's +500 to hit a home run on FanDuel, but DraftKings offers better odds at +600.

De La Cruz just might leave the yard against Austin Gomber tonight. He's only faced Gomber twice, but he does have a hit against him.

Gomber has allowed six home runs, a .273 batting average and a .839 OPS to right-handed batters. He also has struggled at home — like most Rockies pitchers. Gomber has a 8.75 ERA with six home runs allowed in 23 2/3 innings over five starts.

Gomber has pitched into the sixth inning just two times this season. However, De La Cruz should face him two or three times.

That should give him the opportunity to record two bases and cash this line.

Pick: Bryan De La Cruz Over 1.5 Total Bases