MLB is back with a bang on Friday with all 30 teams in action. While there are many betting lines to sort through, I've found three MLB pitcher prop bets — on Joe Ryan, Spencer Turnbull and Clarke Schmidt — that you should consider targeting tonight.
Let's dive into my three MLB player props for Friday, April 19.
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MLB Player Props: Friday Pitcher Prop Bets
Spencer Turnbull Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-127)
6:40 p.m. ET vs. White Sox
I'll begin my picks in the "City of Brotherly Love," where Spencer Turnbull and the Philadelphia Phillies will host the Chicago White Sox.
Turnbull has gotten off to a fantastic start this season, as he has a 1.80 ERA through three starts.
A big part of his early success has come from his ability to rack up strikeouts. Turnbull is averaging over a strikeout per inning, but the issue is that he's due for regression in that department.
Turnbull's strikeout rate thus far is over five percent higher than his career average. Plus, Turnbull has gone under this number in 70% of his 63 career starts.
That 70% hit rate equates to implied odds of -233, which means that he'll go under again tonight.
Pick: Spencer Turnbull Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-127)
Clarke Schmidt Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-155)
7:05 p.m. ET vs. Rays
Next, we head to the Bronx, where Clark Schmidt is set to take the ball for the New York Yankees tonight against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Schmidt is fortunate to have a 3.68 ERA through three starts, as his 1.64 WHIP indicates that he's worked through plenty of traffic thus far.
Tonight's outing may look similar, as the Rays are a team that puts the ball in play quite a bit and has a .296 BABIP on the year.
Also, Schmidt is due for regression in the whiff department. His cutter has a 38% whiff rate this year, and that's too drastic of a jump from last season, when it was just 22%.
With his stuff expected to dial down and an aggressive lineup in front of him, it's unlikely he'll rack up many strikeouts tonight.
We saw him go under this total 70% of the time last season, and he's continued that trend this year by going under in two of his first three outings. The odds are in our favor.
Lastly, our Action Labs projections love this under, as they have Schmidt slated for just 4.8 strikeouts.
Pick: Clarke Schmidt Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-155)
Joe Ryan Under 7.5 Strikeouts (-155)
8:10 p.m. ET vs. Tigers
Last but certainly not least, we head to the Twin Cities, where Joe Ryan will toe the slab for Minnesota.
Ryan looked excellent at the start of the season, and his last outing was one of the best performances we've ever seen from him. He struck out 12 over six innings of work while allowing just one earned run.
However, that great outing came against the same Detroit Tigers lineup that he's going to see tonight.
The Tigers getting back-to-back looks against Ryan will only work against him tonight. His last outing has overinflated his line to the point where we must capitalize on it.
Ryan has gone under this total 73% of the time since 2022. Implied odds of -270 make this juice worth the squeeze.
According to our Action Labs projections, this is a top play, with Ryan slated for just six punchouts.
