MLB PrizePicks Today, Featuring Riley Greene & Cody Bellinger (Tuesday, August 22)

MLB PrizePicks Today, Featuring Riley Greene & Cody Bellinger (Tuesday, August 22) article feature image
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Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images. Pictured: Riley Greene.

We have a stacked 15-game MLB slate on Tuesday, which means there are plenty of entries to sift through on PrizePicks.

A quick refresher if you aren’t familiar with PrizePicks: you can combine up to five different player squares to pay out up to 10x your entry.

You can do a Flex Play or a Power Play. A Flex Play provides lesser odds, but you can win money even if you don’t nail every pick. A Power Play is all-or-nothing.

Here’s how I would approach Tuesday'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 picks in which you combine two or more entries together.


Cody Bellinger Fantasy Score More Than 7.5

The Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers play the second game of their interleague series on Tuesday at Comerica Park.

Right-hander Reese Olson takes the mound for Detroit, and he profiles as a good fade candidate. Through 14 appearances, the rookie is 2-5 with a 4.83 ERA and 1.23 WHIP.

Olson's underlying metrics suggest that positive regression is unlikely as he ranks in the 22nd percentile or lower in average exit velocity, xERA/xwOBA, xBA, xSLG and Barrel%.

Cody Bellinger is the first Chicago hitter to back. The former MVP has been one of the best hitters in the NL this season, boasting a .324 BA, .561 SLG and .933 OPS with 20 homers. The left-handed hitter should thrive in this matchup, especially considering that his splits jump by roughly 10% when facing right-handers since 2021.

Bellinger has surpassed this number in 11 of his past 17 games.

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Nico Hoerner Fantasy Score More Than 8

Nico Hoerner is the other Cubs hitter to back.

Entering this contest in solid form, Hoerner has recorded at least eight fantasy points in seven of the last 12 games. Not only is Hoerner a good hitter — .283 BA, .403 SLG and .747 OPS — but he is also a threat to swipe a bag. He ranks fourth in the NL with 32 stolen bases.

Like Bellinger, Hoerner's splits jump when facing right-handed pitching, albeit by a much less threatening 3%.

Riley Greene Fantasy Score Less Than 6.5

Lastly, we are going to fade a member of the Tigers in this contest: Riley Greene.

Left-hander Drew Smyly takes the mound for Chicago, but it may be a limited outing. After struggling through much of the season, the left-hander was moved to the bullpen at the beginning of August.

But with Marcus Stroman injured, Smyly returns to the rotation on Tuesday. Perhaps that brief stint in the bullpen is exactly what he needed. He was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in three appearances.

While Greene has put together a strong sophomore campaign, he has struggled mightily at the dish recently. He has failed to surpass this number in five straight games, producing a .150 BA, .150 SLG and .377 OPS over that span.

These woes for the left-handed hitter are likely to continue in this matchup, considering that his splits drop by roughly 24% when facing left-handed pitching.

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