Betting Odds and MLB Free Picks for Player and Team Props for Monday 5/18/2015

by Dave Schwab - 5/18/2015

The MLB schedule for this Monday night is pared down to just six games, but Bovada has helped to increase the betting action by releasing a number of player prop odds in conjunction with these matchups. After carefully going through this list by weighing each player's current form and overall performance in the early part of the new season, I have been able to come up with my top three plays of the night.

Detroit Tigers' Kyle Lobstein Total Strikeouts

Left-hander Kyle Lobstein is slated to get the start for the Tigers in tonight's home game against Milwaukee, and the "over/under" player prop odds on his total strikeouts have been set at -150 for over 3.5 and at +120 for a play on the under. I am going with the favorable moneyline on the "under" in this prop.

This will be his seventh start of the season, and looking back at his game log for the season he has thrown more than three strikeouts only once in those six games (four against Cleveland on April 26). He got completely shelled by Minnesota his last time out in just 2 1/3 innings of work with six earned runs on seven hits. Even in his best effort in the start before that game, he only had three strikeouts of 7 2/3 innings against the Chicago White Sox in which he allowed no earned runs on five hits.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Mark Trumbo Total Hits, Runs and RBI

The player prop bet odds on Mark Trumbo's total hits, runs and RBI for Monday night's game against Miami have been set at +140 for over 2.5 and at -170 for under. Oftentimes this is a tough prop to take advantage of the favorable moneyline odds on the over, but I am going in that direction this time around.

Miami is a team in turmoil after firing its manager this past Sunday. While that situation will probably have a minimal impact on what Trumbo does in this game, it is still a factor on some level as far as the actual outcome of this contest. Turning to Trumbo himself, he comes into this game with 25 hits, 15 runs and 19 RBI through his first 32 games, which works out to be an average of 1.9 hits, runs and RBI a game. His last really big game came on May 12 when he belted two home runs to knock in four runs. He has been quiet in his last four starts, which could set the stage for a big night against Marlins' starter Dan Haren, who was absolutely shelled his last time out with six earned runs on 11 hits in just 4 1/3 innings.

Cleveland's Michael Brantley vs. Chicago's Jose Abreu- Most Hits, Runs and RBI

The betting odds for this head-to-head player prop matchup have been set at -115 for a wager on either player having the most combined hits, runs and RBI in Monday night's game. I am going with Brantley in this head-to-head player prop.

Brantley has played in 30 games for the Indians, and he has posted 40 hits, 20 runs and 22 RBI while leading the team in overall batting average at .348. In last Friday's 8-3 victory against Texas, he ended the game with three hits, two runs and two RBI. The next game was a 10-8 victory against the Rangers, and he was responsible for a hit, run and RBI, so current form remains high heading into Monday night.

Abreu remains one of the biggest bats in the White Sox lineup with 38 hits, 18 runs and 22 RBI in 33 games for an average of 2.36 a game, which is slightly lower than Brantley's 2.73 average per game in these same three categories. Abreu has now recorded at least one hit in each of his last 12 games. He has also scored four runs and knocked-in five runs in his last five outings, but he going up against right-hander Corey Kluber, who is coming off his best outing of the season. Last Wednesday against St. Louis, he pitched eight full innings and held the Cardinals scoreless on just 1 hit while striking out 18 batters.

Start:	November 23, 2024 @ 11:59 PM
Expert:	Arun Shiva (Indian Cowboy)
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