Reds right-hander Hunter Greene struck out 10 in his last start in Oakland. Unfortunately for him, he did not qualify for the win as Cincinnati needed to rally late for a 3-2 victory. Greene will go for his first win of the season at home against the White Sox.
Meanwhile in New York, the Mets will take a win of any variety. They enter Friday having lost nine of their last 11 games after getting swept in Detroit. They face the Rockies at home, which should be a good spot for a win, as well as strikeouts for Kodai Senga.
Out west, the Padres have been chasing the Dodgers for years. Last season, the Dodgers still took the divison, but the Padres bounced them in four games in the NLDS. This will be their first meeting of the season, and Manny Machado will look to stay hot against Clayton Kershaw.
MLB Player Props For May 5, Friday
Hunter Greene Over 6.5 Strikeouts (-115)
| Chicago White Sox vs. Cincinnati Reds | |
| First Pitch | 6:40 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | DraftKings |
Hunter Greene has recorded at least seven strikeouts in three of his six starts this season. In one of those outings, he had six. Greene has also soared past this line with two double-digit strikeout performances — that includes his last start, when he had 10 against the A's.
He will face a White Sox lineup that ranks in the middle of the pack in strikeout percentage against right-handed pitchers. However, six of the last nine starting pitchers the White Sox have faced have gone over their strikeout props. Five of the six were right-handed pitchers, and four of them had at least seven strikeouts.
Now, Great American Ball Park is one of the most favorable venues for hitters. However, Greene had 68 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings last year. He has also taken a leap in his sophomore season, lowering his ERA to 2.89 thus far this season.
The concern is his 1.40 WHIP, which means there will likely be traffic on the basepaths that drives his pitch count up. Greene can manage it though, as he's thrown 100 pitches in each of his double-digit strikeout performances.
Pick: Hunter Greene Over 6.5 Strikeouts (-115) |
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Kodai Senga Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-150)
| Colorado Rockies vs. New York Mets | |
| First Pitch | 7:10 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | DraftKings |
While we need seven strikeouts from Greene, we only need six from Kodai Senga.
Perhaps Senga's line should be at 6.5, too. He has recorded at least seven strikeouts in three of his first five starts; he's hit six in four of those outings. The one strikeout difference increases his hit rate by 20%.
Two of the starts in which Senga went over came against the Marlins. He had 14 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings and a 1.59 ERA in those starts. Since those back-to-back starts against Miami, he has a 6.17 ERA in his last three outings. While I like Senga's chances of getting strikeouts, I also generally expect a better outing from him.
The Rockies are 5-11 on the road this season. They have a .220 team batting average and .614 OPS away from Coors Field — needless to say, they're vulnerable in this spot.
Freddie Peralta struck out 10 in Colorado, Tanner Bibee had eight strikeouts against them in Cleveland and both Matt Strahm and Zack Wheeler each notched 11-strikeout performances.
Pitching at Citi Field, Senga will be in a good spot to notch six strikeouts. I would feel comfortable playing this line at 6.5 as well.
Pick: Kodai Senga Over 5.5 Strikeouts
Manny Machado Over 1.5 Hits + Runs+ RBI (+120)
| Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres | |
| First Pitch | 9:40 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | DraftKings |
Before the Padres went to Mexico City, Manny Machado was hitting just .225 with two home runs and eight RBI. In the first game of the Mexico series, Machado doubled his home run total as he went 3-for-4 with two homers, a double, and three RBI.
That may have helped him find his swing — Machado has a hit and run scored in three of his last four games. He has cleared this line in four of the past five games.
Fading Clayton Kershaw is not the wisest decision. Even at age 35, he has a 1.89 ERA and 0.76 WHIP. However, Machado has had more success against his former teammate than others. He is hitting .289 with four home runs and nine RBI against Kershaw in his career. He also has not walked against him, which is good for us as a ball in play is ideal for potential hits and RBI.
Additionally, Machado has been much better against lefties. He is hitting .351 with an .832 OPS against left-handers this season. He has just six strikeouts in 37 at-bats against them compared to 24 in 82 at-bats against right-handers.
Kershaw or not, at plus money, I like Machado.
Pick: Manny Machado Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + Runs Batted In (+120)
