We potentially have the final game of the Divisional Round on Sunday with the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees battling It out in Game 4.
Player props have become among the most popular bets in the industry, but while the amount of states with legalized gambling is growing, some may feel left out.
Enter PrizePicks.
With PrizePicks, you get the opportunity to essentially parlay game prop over/unders with cash payouts depending on how many you get correct on that day’s slate.
Therefore, let’s take a look at some of the options on Tuesday’s Major League Baseball slate and see where we can find some value to turn a profit.
A quick refresher if you aren’t familiar with PrizePicks: you can combine up to five different O/U player props to payout up to 10x your wager.
You can do a Flex Play or a Power Play. A Flex Play gives you lesser odds, but you can win money even if you don’t nail every pick. Meanwhile, a Power Play is similar to a parlay — it’s all or nothing.
Here’s how I would approach today’s MLB slate.
What is PrizePicks? A daily fantasy operator — meaning they’re available in more states (30) than sports betting is! — PrizePicks offers a unique opportunity for action on player props in which you parlay two or more plays together.
Cal Quantrill Over 4 Strikeouts
Taking the mound for Cleveland in Game 4 is right-hander Cal Quantrill. Through 32 starts this season, Quantrill is 15-5 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. While he has been strong all season, we are specifically targeting his strikeout prop.
In his first playoff appearance against the Yankees, Quantrill struck out five batters over five innings pitched. Recording at least four strikeouts in 14 of his last 17 starts, we should expect this strong trend to continue against New York once again.
Since Sept. 1, the Yankees rank just 20th in the league in K% when facing right-handed pitching. Looking at the Yankees’ projected lineup for Game 4, four of the nine hitters possess a K% north of 25%.
Jose Ramirez Hitter Fantasy Score Over 6.5
We are also backing a couple of Cleveland hitters in this game as they are slated to go against right-hander Gerrit Cole. While he has put together another relatively strong campaign, Cole has not had his sharpest stuff over the past month. Across his past six starts, the right-hander is 3-1 with a 4.54 ERA.
The first Guardians hitter we are backing is their most valuable player, infielder Jose Ramirez. Through 30 career plate appearances against Cole, Ramirez boasts a .292 BA, .708 SLG, and .444 wOBA. We should not expect regression in this specific matchup as he has produced a .297 xBA, .592 xSLG, and .431 wOBA across those 30 plate appearances.
Ramirez has been tremendous in the postseason, going over this total in four of the five games. When facing right-handed pitching this season, Ramirez has posted a tremendous .295 BA, .550 SLG, and .918 OPS.
Andres Gimenez Over 0.5 Total Bases
The other Guardians hitter we are backing is Andres Gimenez. Recording a hit in each of the three games in this series, we should expect Gimenez's strong hitting to continue.
Gimenez perhaps had one of the more underrated seasons at the dish this season, posting a .300 BA, .470 SLG, and .842 OPS. All we need is one knock from him to get over this total, which could happen against Cole.
Through 12 career plate appearances against the Yankees' right-hander, Giminez has posted a .250 BA, .417 SLG, and .284 wOBA. The Guardians throw out perhaps the scrappiest lineup in baseball, which is typically a recipe for success in October baseball.
I expect a big game from Cleveland, and perhaps a performance good enough to move on to the ALCS to take on the Houston Astros.
