After every team was in action on Opening Day, there are just five games tonight. The Mets will look to grab another road win in Miami. Meanwhile, Jeff McNeil and Luis Arraez will look to stay hot despite facing a couple of left-handers.
The White Sox ruined Opening Day for the defending World Series champion Astros. Dylan Cease was dominant, striking out 10 in 6 1/3 innings of work. Houston may find a little more success going against Lance Lynn today.
The Padres entered the season with high expectations, in large because of their potent lineup. It was the Rockies' bats that did most of the talking last night. However, Manny Machado still had a productive game. He is in another good spot tonight.
MLB Player Props For Friday, March 31
Jeff McNeil/Luis Arraez Hit Parlay (-108)
| Mets vs. Marlins | |
| First Pitch | 6:40 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | FanDuel |
Last season, Jeff McNeil lead MLB with a .326 batting average. Luis Arraez finished at .316, which was fourth best. This season, they are both in the NL for first time in their careers and they each picked up right where they left off. They each recorded two hits in the Mets' season opening 5-3 win.
Tonight, they will both face left-handers with Jesus Luzardo getting the ball for Miami while David Peterson will start for the Mets. Despite both being left-handed hitters, I don't expect McNeil and Arraez to slow down. McNeil is 4-for-8 in his career against Luzardo. All four hits were singles, however, that would work just fine for us.
Arraez has never faced Peterson before, but he did hit .266 against LHP last season. While not as dynamic as he is against RHP, Arraez can more than hold his own against lefties. Additionally, Peterson and Luzardo are pitchers that typically work six innings or less.
Given that this is their first start of the season, their pitch counts could be limited. That means McNeil and Arraez could get one or two ABs against right-handed relievers.
Pick: Arraez/McNeil Hits Parlay (-108) |
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Lance Lynn Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-132)
| White Sox vs. Astros | |
| First Pitch | 8:10 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | FanDuel |
The White Sox and Astros played a pitcher's duel on Thursday. The game was scoreless entering the seventh and ended 3-2 in favor of the White Sox. Chicago's Dylan Cease struck out 10, but his stuff is as electric as any starter in the big leagues. While Lynn is a very good starter in his own right, I don't expect him to pile up a ton of strikeouts tonight.
For his career, Lynn has recorded about a strikeout per inning. Last season, he had 124 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings. He also recorded six strikeouts in 11 of 21 starts last season. Getting to six could prove difficult against the Astros. Against RHP, Houston struck out just 20.4% of the time, which ranked 25th in the league.
For Lynn to get to six strikeouts, he may have to work deep into the game, which is not likely in his first start. That isn't even accounting for the Astros' bats putting together a better effort than Thursday night, which would knock him out even sooner.
Pick: Lance Lynn Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-132) |
Manny Machado Over 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBIs (-120)
| Rockies vs. Padres | |
| First Pitch | 9:40 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | DraftKings |
Manny Machado was a player I had circled Thursday night, but I decided to lay off after seeing the inclement weather. Machado did go over this line after he went 1-for-3 with a RBI. Machado had a good matchup against German Marquez and has another good matchup tonight against Kyle Freeland. In his career, Machado is 12-for-38 (.316) with six doubles against Freeland.
This is a new prop available on DraftKings, but what I like about it is the variety of ways it can hit. The easiest way for him to go over this line would be by hitting a home run, which would give him a hit, run scored, and run batted in. However, Machado has yet to homer off Freeland in his career.
An RBI base hit would cover this line as well and even if he does not get a hit at at all. Imagine if Machado goes 0-3 with a walk, run scored, and sacrifice fly. He would still have two runs scored and an RBI.
Machado's placement (third) in a potent Padres lineup puts him an ideal position to drive in ton of runs and score runs if he gets on base. Given's Thursday's performance, the Padres will need a much stronger performance at the plate to secure their first win of the season. I expect Machado to lead the way.
Pick: Manny Machado Over 1.5 Hits + Runs +RBIs (-120)
