Best Bets on Today’s MLB Player Props Market
The 2023 MLB season is underway and VSiN has you covered with every way you can possibly bet on a baseball game. As always, Adam Burke will have daily best bets to give you some ideas of what to back when it comes to moneylines, run lines and totals. However, I’m tackling player props here, and I’m targeting Cedric Mullins, Nick Lodolo and Anthony Rizzo on Thursday, April 13th. Keep reading to find out how I’m betting on each of them.
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MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on April 13
Here are our favorite MLB prop bets for Thursday, April 13:
Oakland Athletics at Baltimore Orioles (-230, 10)
Cedric Mullins is really slumping to start the 2023 season, but he’ll find life with his bat soon. And today’s meeting with the Athletics offers up a great matchup for the slugger. Mullins will get to go to work against Oakland’s Adam Oller, who was just 2-8 with a 6.30 ERA last season — and winless with a 6.65 ERA when pitching in the afternoon.
Mullins also took Oller deep in one of his two at-bats against the righty last season, and it wouldn’t be all that surprising if he were to do it again in this game. But we’re just banking on Mullins to drive in one run, which isn’t much to ask for in a game with a total of 10. Don’t be shocked if Mullins jumps on some of Oller’s pitches early. Oller’s four-seam fastball is extremely hittable and Mullins won’t want to waste any opportunities to pounce on them.
Bet: Mullins Over 0.5 RBIs (+155)
Philadelphia Phillies at Cincinnati Reds (-135, 9)
Nick Lodolo is coming off a game in which he pitched 7.0 shutout innings and struck out 12 batters against this same Phillies team. Philadelphia should come a bit more prepared for this game, as the team has had plenty of time to reflect on that performance and work on a new plate approach. But it’s still a little surprising to see plus-money odds on Lodolo to strike out eight here.
Lodolo has struck out 21 batters in two starts this season, and he just has some of the best swing-and-miss stuff in baseball right now. When you combine that with Philadelphia’s 26.3% strikeout rate, it’s just hard not to make this play. Lodolo also happened to have eight strikeouts in one of his two starts against the Phillies last season.
Bet: Lodolo Over 7.5 Strikeouts (+107)
Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees (-145, 8.5)
Last season, Joe Ryan struggled in his only trip to the Bronx. The righty gave up four earned runs in 4.0 innings of work in that outing, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he had a little trouble with this Yankees lineup here. And one player we expect to have some success against him is Anthony Rizzo.
Rizzo was 0 for 4 in Wednesday’s meeting with the Cleveland Guardians, but he is still batting .286 this year. And the 33-year-old is one of the players that people expected big things from in 2023, as he was negatively impacted by some of the intense shifting we had seen prior to this season. But with that no longer being an option for opponents, Rizzo’s ability to make hard contact is being rewarded.
Rizzo also happens to be tremendous when facing right-handed pitching, and this year is no exception. He’s already batting .313 with a homer, two doubles and five RBIs against righties this season, and it just isn’t outrageous to think that Rizzo will have either multiple singles or an extra base hit in this one. And the fact you’re getting these odds on him to do it against a righty makes it a must-bet.
Bet: Rizzo Over 1.5 Total Bases (+125)
Did you know that you can parlay these three picks together at +1087 odds? Try out our VSiN Parlay Calculator HERE!
