Yesterday, it was a so-so 1-2 night, putting us at .500 for the week. However, we did cash on Nestor Cortes Jr., who turned in a solid outing against the Angels in a 9-3 Yankees victory.
Today, I am going back to the Yankees, who will be hosting the Blue Jays in an AL East battle. Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu are a pair of right-handed hitters who have great numbers against Blue Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi.
Marcus Semien has great numbers against everyone of late. His Rangers have been playing without Corey Seager, but Semien has helped the Rangers keep rolling without him.
Tonight, the Rangers will host their AL West rival Oakland Athletics. Semien will look to stay hot against a struggling A's pitching staff.
Staying in the AL West, the Angels will host the Royals tonight. They will do so with superstar Shohei Ohtani on the mound.
All we need the Angels to do is win, but will that be easier said than done against the struggling Royals?
MLB Player Props For Friday, April 21
Gleyber Torres/DJ LeMahieu One Hit Parlay (-115)
Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees | |
First Pitch | 7:05 p.m. ET |
Best Line | DraftKings |
The Yankees have not faced many left-handed starters this season. As a result, Torres has just six at-bats against lefties. But the good news is he is 2-for-6 against them.
One left-hander that Torres has had a lot of success against is Kikuchi. Torres is 8-for-18 (.444) with a home run, double and 1.111 OPS against him.
Torres' teammate LeMahieu is another right-handed bat with a strong track record against Kikuchi. He is 7-for-19 (.368) with two doubles and a .929 OPS against Kikuchi.
Also, LeMahieu has a hit in 10 of 13 games he has played in this month.
Kikuchi has struggled against Torres and LeMahieu, and he has had mixed results against the Yankees overall. He is 2-3 with a 4.07 ERA against the Yankees in his career, and he has a 4.70 ERA this season.
Since Giancarlo Stanton went on the IL, Yankees manager Aaron Boone has slotted Torres and LeMahieu fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Yankees' lineup.
It's possible that we cash this combo on back-to-back hits in the first or second inning. However, even if we have to wait a few innings, I like Torres and LeMahieu's chances of getting a hit tonight.
Pick: Gleyber Torres/DJ LeMahieu One Hit Parlay (-115)
Marcus Semien Over 1.5 Total Bases (+115)
Oakland Athletics vs. Texas Rangers | |
First Pitch | 8:05 p.m. ET |
Best Line | DraftKings |
Semien enters play today on a six-game hitting streak. In that span, he is 11-for-23 (.478) and has four multi-hit games.
As a result, he has raised his batting average from .212 to .293. Semien has four home runs — three in the last four games — and 18 runs batted in this season.
Semien's recent power surge has helped him clear this line in each of his past four games and seven of his last 10 games. In all seven games, he totaled at least three bases, which is +215 in DraftKings' same-game parlay.
Before you go and empty the bankroll on this play, allow me to inform you that Semien is just 1-for-6 against A's starter JP Sears. However, Sears has pitched six innings in just one of his first three starts.
The Rangers have been on a roll offensively of late, scoring eight or more runs in seven of their last 10 games. Should that trend continue tonight, Semien may only see Sears one or two times.
The A's have the second-worst bullpen ERA (6.78) and may offer a more favorable matchup for Semien. However, given the way Semien is swinging the bat right now, I like him against a lefty like Sears, as well.
As a result, I also like him to record two total bases and cash this over. This line is -135 on FanDuel, so we are getting a bit of value on DraftKings.
Pick: Marcus Semien Over 1.5 Total Bases (+115)
Shohei Ohtani To Record Win (+100)
Kansas City Royals vs. Los Angeles Angels | |
First Pitch | 9:40 PM ET |
Best Line | DraftKings |
If I am looking to back the Los Angeles Angels, it must mean Ohtani is pitching. The Angels are a -300 favorite on the moneyline, and they are 3-1 in games started by Ohtani this year.
There is a bit more risk, but you can get a more favorable price by backing Ohtani individually.
In order to qualify for a win, Ohtani will have to go five full innings. He went at least six innings in each of his first three starts.
I mentioned the risk with this prop. In his last start, a rain delay in Boston limited Ohtani to just two innings. He did not qualify for a win despite the Angels being up 5-1 when he left the game.
Weather should not be an issue in Anaheim on Friday night, and neither should the Royals.
The Royals will enter this one at 4-15 and on a six-game losing streak. They have been outscored by 36 runs and are averaging just 3.10 earned runs.
Ohtani has a 0.86 ERA this season, and it would be a major surprise if he struggled against Kansas City.
The Royals will be starting relief pitcher Taylor Clarke as an opener. Clarke last pitched on Wednesday when he worked an inning and gave up three runs, which ballooned his ERA to 6.75.
Clarke has pitched just seven innings this season, so the sample size is small, but he has a career 4.85 ERA.
The Royals also have an MLB-worst 6.89 bullpen ERA.
If Ohtani goes six or seven innings, the Angels should have a comfortable lead and allow him to qualify for his third win of the young season.