Best MLB Prop Bets Today | MLB Player Props May 17

Milwaukee Brewers vs St. Louis Cardinals

My Pick: Corbin Burnes Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-105 at DraftKings)

Corbin Burnes came into this season as one of the favorites to win the NL Cy Young award, but his pitching has not looked like that of a Cy Young contender for the most part. On Wednesday, he gets the start against the St. Louis Cardinals, and his strikeout total is set at 5.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook. We expect Burnes to go under that total based on the way he has played for the bulk of this season.

Burnes has started eight games so far this season for the Milwaukee Brewers but has struck out more than five batters in just two of those starts. One of those starts was his last outing against the Kansas City Royals. And while that was a recent start, it was also against one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball, and it will be tougher for Burnes to rack up the strikeouts against St. Louis.

Speaking of St. Louis, they have been one of the better teams in the league at avoiding strikeouts in 2023. Only eight teams have struck out fewer times than the Cardinals this season. While the Cardinals have struggled mightily to win games so far this year, they have been proficient at putting the ball in play, which will help keep Burnes under his strikeout prop total in this contest.

New York Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays

My Pick: George Springer Under 0.5 Hits (+170 at PointsBet)

George Springer is one of the engines that makes the Toronto Blue Jays lineup go. But on Wednesday, we expect Springer to come up empty in his at-bats against the New York Yankees. With a tough matchup against one of the best pitchers in baseball, it is expected that the Blue Jays' offense as a whole will struggle in this game, and Springer will be a part of that himself.

Facing the Toronto lineup in this game is Gerrit Cole, who is still a slight favorite to win the AL Cy Young award as of this week. Cole has already thrown 5.2 innings of shutout ball against the Blue Jays earlier this season. He gave up just four hits in that game, in which Springer had just one hit in his five plate appearances, and went hitless after the first inning.

This game should be a pitcher’s duel in general, as Cole is being opposed by Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt, who is capable of greatness on the mound himself. Both teams are heavily juiced to the under in their first five-inning team totals, implying that runs will be hard to come by in this matchup. As a result, we will take the nice plus price with Springer to be held without a hit in what should be a tightly contested clash North of the border.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Detroit Tigers

My Pick: Eduardo Rodriguez over 5.5 strikeouts (-112 at FanDuel)

Our final MLB prop bet for Wednesday comes from Detroit, as the Detroit Tigers face the Pittsburgh Pirates. Both of these teams were expected to be among the worst in baseball this year, but have been pleasant surprises as they both sit in second place in their respective divisions. Here, we focus on the strikeouts prop for Tigers starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who has really picked things up of late for this surprising AL Central squad.

Rodriguez is 4-2 with a 1.57 ERA on the season, as he has really impressed over the last month, where he has won four decisions in his last five starts. A big reason for that has been an increase in his strikeout numbers, as he has struck out six or more batters in four of his last five outings. Here, we like him to do the same against a Pirates team that has really struggled recently.

Over their last 10 games, the Pirates have gone a miserable 2-8, going from leaders of the NL Central to a second-place team behind the Milwaukee Brewers. They have lost 12 of their last 14 games as well, averaging just 1.57 runs per game during that 14-game stretch. Here, we expect Rodriguez to benefit from the issues that the Pirates have had offensively in order to go over his strikeout total.

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