For my Friday MLB player props, I'll be looking into two rivalry games with Mets vs Phillies and Red Sox vs Yankees.
Last night, the Yankees took the first of their four-game set against the Red Sox by the score of 2-1 in extra innings. While runs were at a premium last night, two hitters with great matchups on Friday are Rafael Devers and Gleyber Torres.
Meanwhile, the Mets take on the Phillies in an NL East clash, and a pair of hitters that I will be fading are Francisco Lindor and Bryce Harper.
Let's dive into my MLB player props for Friday, September 13.
MLB Props & Picks for Friday, Sept. 13
- Francisco Lindor/Bryce Harper One Strikeout Parlay (+118, DraftKings)
- Gleyber Torres Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI (- 140, DraftKings)
- Rafael Devers Over 1.5 Total Bases (+140, BetMGM)
MLB player prop bets and MLB prop bets are becoming increasingly popular among bettors. These wagers focus on individual player performances, such as runs, home runs, and strikeouts, adding excitement by allowing bettors to target specific player statistics rather than just game outcomes.
Mets vs Phillies Player Props: Fade Lindor & Harper?
On Wednesday, the Mets were on the verge of being no-hit before Francisco Lindor led off the ninth inning with a solo shot to spark a six-run ninth inning and 6-2 victory. Despite the team's struggles to that point, Lindor did not strike out, as starter Bowden Francis just had one strikeout in eight innings. However, he enters tonight's matchup with a strikeout in 12 of his last 16 games.
Tonight, Lindor will face Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola, who he has not enjoyed a lot of success against at just 6-for-30 (.200) with six strikeouts. Nola is 20th in MLB with 167 strikeouts this season. However, if Nola cannot punch out Lindor in likely three at-bats against him, Lindor is 0-for-15 with eight strikeouts combined against Phillies relievers Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, Jeff Hoffman, and Carlos Estevez. He has found more success against Jose Alvarado, going 5-for-13 (.385), but with five strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Bryce Harper enters tonight's game hitting .395 with six doubles in September. However, his hitting streak came to an end Wednesday as he went 0-for-4 with one strikeout. He will face Jose Quintana tonight, who has 118 strikeouts this season. Harper has one home run off him, but he is just 3-for-18 with a walk and seven strikeouts for a 36.8% strikeout rate against him. Overall, Harper has 45 strikeouts in 176 at-bats against left-handed pitchers this season.
Both Lindor and Harper bat in the top third of their teams' lineups and should have four plate appearances. Batting leadoff may give Lindor a fifth. That will give us a great chance to cash this combo at plus odds.
Red Sox vs Yankees Player Props: Target Devers & Torres
If you were late arriving to or turning on the Red Sox-Yankees game last night, you missed a third of the runs in the game. Gleyber Torres led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo homer, his 13th off the year. After a slow start in a contract year, Torres is hitting .283 with five home runs and 21 runs batted in with a .759 OPS. Lately, he has thrived as the Yankees' leadoff hitter. Torres has a hit in 12 of his last 13 games while hitting .333 with 10 runs scored, a home run, and six runs batted in.
Tonight, Torres gets Tanner Houck, who he is 7-for-22 (.318) against with two doubles, a home run, and three runs batted in. Houck has allowed four earned runs in two of his last three starts. He will also be making his first start in nine days.
With Torres' success against Houck, I am also interested in his total bases, which have a very appealing price at +145 tonight. However, a few games during this stretch Torres has singled for his only hit in the game. As a result, he has hit his hits + runs + runs batted in line in 10 of his last 13 games compared to five of his last 13 games for total bases. Additionally, batting in front of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge gives him an excellent chance to score every game. Judge is slumping right now, but if either he or Soto drive in Torres after he gets a hit, it will cash this line. Soto had the walk-off single in last night's game.
Since having hits in three consecutive games towards the end of August, Rafael Devers is just 8-for-50 (.160) over his last 13 games. However, as a Yankees fan, I can tell you that slump will come to an end over the next two games. Devers gets Clarke Schmidt tonight and Gerrit Cole tomorrow, but tonight we will focus on the matchup against Schmidt. Devers is 6-for-12 (.500) with a double and two home runs, three runs batted in, and a 1.655 OPS against Schmidt in his career.
Schmidt has enjoyed a strong season with a 2.34 ERA and 2.2 WAR in 12 starts. However, his ERA at Yankee Stadium is 3.96 and three of the six home runs he has allowed have been to left-handed hitters. The short porch at Yankee Stadium favors left-handed hitters and Devers has taken advantage of it many times. In his career, Devers has seven doubles, 16 home runs, and a .824 OPS in 58 games at Yankee Stadium.
Additionally, while Devers has slumped over the last two weeks, seven of his hits have come in four games over the last seven. He has two multi-hit games in that span and three with two total bases. For the season, Devers has 67 extra-base with 28 of them being homers. For a player with his track record at Yankee Stadium, I have to take the +140 here.
