Last night, the Braves and Phillies were rained out in Philadelphia. In light of that, the Braves are going with Bryce Elder instead of rookie AJ Smith-Shawver, but Aaron Nola will still get the ball for the Phillies. That's good news for Austin Riley.
Speaking of postponed games, the Diamondbacks and Nationals will be making up their game from June 8 in Washington D.C. That means Lane Thomas will have a favorable matchup against left-hander Tommy Henry.
The Mariners have been striking out a ton all week, beginning with Lance Lynn's 16-strikeout performance on Sunday. Heading to New York has not helped matters for Seattle, especially after facing Gerrit Cole on Tuesday. Domingo German may be the latest beneficiary.
Let's dive into the top MLB player props for Thursday's MLB slate.
MLB Player Props For Thursday, June 22
Austin Riley Over 1.5 Total Bases (+135)
| Braves vs. Phillies | |
| First Pitch | 1:06 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | DraftKings |
Austin Riley homered in Tuesday's game for the 12th time this season, but it was just his second this month. It hasn't been a great month for Riley, who's hitting just .246 with the two home runs and a .657 OPS.
However, he has recorded two total bases in two of his last three games with the home run on Tuesday and a two-hit game on Sunday. He may make it three of his last four games against Nola today.
Riley and Nola have had many battles in the NL East over the last few years, but it has been pretty one-sided. Riley is 20-for-45 (.444) with five doubles, five home runs and nine runs batted in against the Phillies starter. Riley hit two home runs off Nola back on May 25 in Atlanta and enters this game at +550 to hit a home run at DraftKings.
Nola has struggled this season, allowing four runs or more in six of his last nine starts, including that outing against Atlanta. He has been better at home with a 3.92 ERA in 39 innings.
However, Riley has a .310 batting average, seven home runs and .970 OPS in 32 career games at Citizens Bank Park. He doubled twice off Nola in Philadelphia last July. One double tonight would give him two bases.
Pick: Austin Riley Over 1.5 Total Bases |
Lane Thomas Over 1.5 Total Bases (+145)
| Diamondbacks vs. Nationals | |
| First Pitch | 1:06 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | bet365 |
Lane Thomas is enjoying a strong first half and has positioned himself to be the Nationals' representative in the All-Star Game. He's hitting .290 with 11 home runs, 36 runs batted in and a .826 OPS, but Thomas particularly looks like an All-Star when he faces a left-hander pitcher.
Against left-handers, Thomas is hitting .355 with a 1.051 OPS. He has six home runs in 93 at-bats against left-handed pitching compared to five home runs in 190 at-bats against right-handers. He'll be facing Tommy Henry, against whom he is already 2-for-5 with a home run. Now, Thomas enters this game at +650 to hit a home run at bet365.
Thomas also comes into the matchup riding a nine-game hitting streak, and he has recorded two bases in six of those games.
His implied odds of racking up two bases in today's game are -150, according to props.cash. He's -115 at FanDuel and +125 at DraftKings, which means we're getting strong value with the +145 number at bet365 here.
Pick: Lane Thomas Over 1.5 Total Bases |
Domingo German Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-130)
| Mariners vs. Yankees | |
| First Pitch | 7:06 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | FanDuel |
The Mariners rank second in the MLB in strikeout percentage against right-handed pitchers at 25.6%. That has really shown up this week.
Lance Lynn posted 16 strikeouts in seven innings on Sunday, and Gerrit Cole had eight in seven innings on Tuesday. Tonight, they will face Domingo German for the second time this season. German recorded only four strikeouts in the first start, but the game was in Seattle.
German has averaged 3.7 strikeouts on the road this season. He has recorded six in just two of his seven road starts. He appears far more comfortable at Yankees Stadium, where he has averaged 6.2 strikeouts and gone over this line in four of his six starts. He was also hooked on five in a start against the Red Sox.
The Mariners have scored just three runs in this series and are averaging just 2.5 runs over their past six games. If German shuts Seattle down again, it'll allow him to pitch deeper into the game. He has pitched at least six innings in three of his past four starts and seven of his 13 starts overall.
A strikeout per inning should help him cash this over. I like him for up to eight strikeouts, which you can get at +300 at FanDuel.
Pick: Domingo German Over 5.5 Strikeouts |
