In Oakland, the Athletics welcomed MLB's best team to town and surprisingly took the first two games of the series. However, the Rays bounced back last night with a 6-3 victory. Today, manager Kevin Cash will give the ball to rookie Taj Bradley to salvage a split.
Speaking of four-game series, the Rockies and Braves will begin a four-game set in Atlanta. Yesterday, Ronald Acuña Jr. did damage in both legs of the doubleheader against the Tigers. Today, I like him to stay hot against Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland.
To end the night, let's head out to San Diego, where the Padres have won seven of their last 10 games, including the first two games against Cleveland. In some ways, their resurgence can be tied to the resurgence of Gary Sanchez. He could be in for a big night against Guardians rookie Logan Allen.
MLB Player Props For Thursday, June 15
Taj Bradley To Record A Win +160
| Rays vs. Athletics | |
| First Pitch | 3:37 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | DraftKings |
After a 12-50 start, the Oakland Athletics looked like they were on a fast track to one of the worst records in MLB history. Then, they capped a road trip with five consecutive wins over the Pirates and Brewers.
They got lucky and missed Shane McClanahan while taking the first two games from the Rays as they pushed their win streak to seven. The streak ended last night despite the fact they pushed across three against Tyler Glasnow.
The A's are once again underdogs (+175), and I don't expect them to get back in the win column. Rather than backing the Rays at a juiced price of -205, I prefer the better odds of backing Taj Bradley instead.
For much of the first half, Bradley has been one of the top rookies in the American League. He's 4-3 with a 4.19 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 38.2 innings.
He has hit a rough patch, losing in three of his last four starts, but two of the losses came against the Blue Jays and Rangers, whose lineups can pose problems for any starter. The other was a 1-0 loss to the Cubs in which he allowed one unearned run in 5.2 innings.
Bradley has pitched at least five innings in six of his eight starts this season, with the exception being against Toronto and Texas. He has allowed three runs or fewer in six of his eight starts as well.
If he keeps the A's in check, he should be in line to leave as the winning pitcher, which I expect will be after the fifth inning. He has also pitched into the sixth inning in two starts in case we need the Rays to score in the top of the sixth.
I expect Bradley's pitch arsenal to give the Oakland hitters fits today, so I also like his strikeouts prop. If you would prefer not to rely on Tampa to build a lead in the first five innings, you can take him to get six strikeouts/Tampa to win the game at +130 at FanDuel as an alternative.
However, Bradley has earned a decision in seven of his eight starts this season. Today, we just need him to come out on the winning side.
Pick: Taj Bradley To Record a Win
Ronald Acuña Jr. Over 1.5 Total Bases (-125)
| Rockies vs. Braves | |
| First Pitch | 7:20 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | FanDuel |
If you backed Ronald Acuña Jr. yesterday either in daily fantasy or props, you likely had a profitable day. In yesterday's doubleheader against the Tigers, he went 4-for-9 with three runs scored, two home runs totaling 890 feet and four runs batted in. He's now hitting .381 in doubleheaders.
However, regardless of the situation, Acuna has been one of the game's best hitters this season.
He ranks second in the Major Leagues in batting average (.333) and third in OPS (.985). Over his past seven games, he's hitting .355 with three home runs, 11 runs batted in and a 1.186 OPS. He's also hitting .317 at Truist Park and .344 against left-handed pitchers.
Today, he gets Kyle Freeland, and it's not a surprise he has good numbers against the Rockies starter as well.
Acuña has gone 3-for-8 with a home run and a 1.250 OPS against Freeland in his career. Freeland has given up 11 of his 12 home runs to right-handed batters and has allowed nine doubles and two triples to right-handed hitters for 22 extra-base hits in 222 at-bats.
Comparatively, he has given up just four extra-base hits in 69 ABs against lefties. He's also the rare Rockies pitcher who's worse away from Coors Field as he has a 4.81 ERA on the road.
Acuña has recorded a hit in nine of his last 10 games, which has helped him record two bases in seven of his last 10 games. In that span, he's averaging three total bases per game in addition to 2.3 total bases per game for the season. An extra-base hit would give us the over here.
Pick: Ronald Acuña Jr. Over 1.5 Total Bases (-130) |
Gary Sanchez To Record 2 Total Bases (+170)
| Guardians vs. Padres | |
| First Pitch | 8:40 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | FanDuel |
[Editor's Note: Gary Sanchez isn't in tonight's starting lineup.]
Since his debut in 2015, Gary Sanchez has been among the game's best power-hitting catchers with 160 career home runs to his name.
However, he has fallen out of favor with several teams over the last few seasons. He recently landed in San Diego after being designated for assignment by the Mets.
Since joining the Padres, though, Sanchez has smashed six home runs in just 14 games. In that span, he's tied for second in MLB in homers. Sanchez's home run prop can be found at+450 at FanDuel.
I keep mentioning the home run for him because that's the most likely way that Sanchez will get two (or four) bases. Half of his hits since joining the Padres have been home runs, but he also has two doubles. With two-thirds of his hits going for extra bases, Sanchez has a .936 OPS as a Padre.
Sanchez has generated more power against left-handed pitching this season. He's hitting .294 with three home runs and a 1.118 OPS in just 17 at-bats against lefties this year compared to .205 and a .760 OPS against right-handers.
Cleveland rookie Logan Allen has done a good job keeping the ball in the yard this season, but four of the five home runs he has allowed have been to right-handed hitters. They're also hitting .286 with 17 doubles against him.
Allen allowed five runs in his last start against Houston. That doesn't mean he'll struggle again tonight, but one bad pitch to Sanchez may result in a double or home run and give him two bases.
Pick: Gary Sanchez To Record 2 Total Bases (+170) |
