![Nestor Cortes is part of our MLB player props card for Friday night!](http://media.assettype.com/bettorsinsider%2F2024-05%2Fd34dc141-655d-4e92-b520-76101bfe2a18%2FMLB_Betting_Guide_3_Player_Props_and_Our_Best_Bet_for_Friday__May_17.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
Ouch! What a rough Thursday it was, as our MLB selections suffered the golden sombrero with an 0-3 performance. As an old college coach of mine used to say, "sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you."
Tyler Glasnow was a big disappointment for us last night, as he got hit around a bit by the Reds (of all teams). He also came up a strikeout short to ruin our Over 8.5 play in that department. Another tough loss came on Joe Ryan, as he finished with 16 outs when we played O17.5.
Time to shake it off and move on! Let's make it a fabulous Friday with 3 player props and a best bet. I hope y'all have a fantastic weekend!
Glasnow burned us last night, but I'm not going to shy away from stud pitchers at a decent price to get a W. Wheeler has one of the best K-rates in baseball (30%), mainly thanks to a 95 mph fastball and a 94 mph sinker. You can bet that Wheeler will be out for blood after giving up 6 earned runs to the Marlins (of all teams) on Sunday.
Even with that poor outing, opponents have an expected batting average of just .203 against Big Zack this season. The Nats have impressed me this year and they're a scrappy bunch. That said, Washington still ranks just 21st in WRC+ against righties.
The Phillies have been the best team in baseball so far, and their offense just keeps on rolling. They rank 5th in WRC+ against righties and are averaging 5.4 runs per 9 innings overall. Let's lay some juice to bet on Wheeler!
Man, this Yankees offense is on a roll right now. They have been the best hitting team in MLB against righties and they just swept a very good Twins team. I don't see the boys in pinstripes slowing down against Mike Clevinger and the White Sox bullpen.
"Nasty" Nestor Cortes has had some tough luck to start 2024, as he's just 1-4 on the season. However, the 29-year-old lefty is due for some positive regression, as his expected batting average against is just .216.
The South Siders have been swinging the bats better lately, but they're still dead last in WRC+ against lefties. Look for the Yanks offense to finally give Cortes some decent run support in this one!
We've made a bundle of cash playing Unders in strikeout props and here is another good spot to go back to the well. Alexander is a young lefty that's mainly been used as a middle reliever by the Rays.
He does have 5 starts this season with a median K number of 4. So, why are we playing the Under? This Jays lineup never seems to strike out very often against lefties.
Toronto has the 2nd lowest K-rate in all of baseball against southpaws. They also have hitters with K-rates below 18%. Give me the Under and let's be prepared for a sweat!
For our best bet, let's roll with the Red Sox over the Cards. I like the first 5 route better because Boston's bullpen was taxed pretty badly in a loss to the Rays yesterday. I like Boston starter Brayan Bello a heck of a lot more than St. Louie starter Kyle Gibson.
Bello came off the IL to get a W over Washington in his last start. The young righty only allowed 4 hits and 2 runs in that game, so the lat tightness appears to have healed up nicely. Bello has a nice 95 mph sinker to go along with a plus change up.
Boston's offense has more pop than people think. Rafael Devers finally looks healthy and he's hit homers in back to back games. Jarren Durran has also been swinging a hot bat. Look for the BoSox to get to Gibson for a few runs early in this one. Good luck tonight, folks!