MLB Player Props for Thursday, 7/24: Best Bets & Predictions Today
What kind of performances can we expect on Thursday from Eric Lauer, Yu Darvish, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.? Follow along as our MLB betting analyst, Nick Galaida, breaks down three of his favorite MLB prop bets for Thursday, July 24th. Get all of Nick’s picks, including more MLB plays, by subscribing to the RotoGrinders Props & Pick’em package.
Major League Baseball has only 4 games on tap for their evening selection of entertainment this evening, but there are still some betting opportunities on the board that could be worthy of consideration.
As always, be sure to monitor our MLB starting lineups page throughout the day, as unexpected changes in the batting order can result in value opportunities in the betting and DFS markets.
Another reminder – it’s not a bad beat, or unlucky, if you bet a player to hit a home run and his fly ball dies on the warning track because it’s 40 degrees with the wind blowing in! Before locking in any bets, use our MLB weather page, curated by Chief Meteorologist, Kevin Roth. There are countless edges to be found if we make the right reads on possible rain delays and great hitting weather, just to name a few. Taking a look at the weather report can save us from a bad bet that otherwise looks good on the surface.
Below, you can find my 3 picks for Thursday, July 24th!
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Best MLB Player Props for Thursday, July 24
Here are my top player prop bets for today, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:40 PM ET on Thursday, July 24th:
- Eric Lauer Over/Under 4.5 Strikeouts
- Yu Darvish Over/Under 4.5 Strikeouts
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over/Under 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs
DRAFTKINGSEric Lauer UNDER 4.5 Strikeouts (+125, DraftKings)
Lauer has gone over this market number in 5 of his last 6 turns through the rotation, but he owns a subpar 9.2% swinging-strike rate in that span. His strikeout prowess has been primarily a result of earning chases at pitches out of the zone, but the Tigers rarely chase bad pitches against southpaws. Their biggest issue has been making contact on pitches in the zone, which has plagued them recently. This isn’t as strong of a matchup for Lauer as it might appear on the surface.
Yu Darvish UNDER 4.5 Strikeouts (-145, DraftKings)
Darvish has struggled mightily to generate swings and misses since he returned from the injured list. The league average swinging-strike rate is 10.8% – Darvish had an 8.6% swinging-strike rate in his most recent outing against the Nationals and only a 7.2% swinging-strike rate in his start before that. The Cardinals are in a tough spot offensively, coming out of Coors Field without an off day, but they are still one of the more contact-oriented lineups in baseball. During the last 14 days, they have the 8th-lowest strikeout rate against right-handed pitching. The under should have a good chance to cash, especially if Darvish once again has a shorter outing.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. OVER 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-145, DraftKings)
In the last couple of days, Guerrero was publicly called out by his manager for not offering enough offensive production — particularly in the power department. He responded well and is coming off of a 2-hit night, which included a pair of runs scored, a double, and a pair of runs driven home. Across his last 5 games, Guerrero is hitting .474 with a 247 wRC+. This is good value for him to remain hot.
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