Best MLB Player Props to Target for Friday (June 2)
By Chris Amberley in MLB Baseball
Published:
- Friday’s MLB Player Props are live for the 15-game slate (June 2)
- Michael Wacha posted a 0.84 ERA in May
- Don’t miss Friday’s best MLB player props to bet, below
With no NBA or NHL on deck for Friday, that leaves MLB as the biggest game in town. There are 15 games for bettors to sweat, with player props available for each contest.
One of those matchups features the Cubs and Padres, with online sportsbooks expecting Chicago’s recent struggles to continue in the MLB odds. The Cubs lineup has been atrocious in recent outings, and they’re about to run into one of the league’s hottest pitchers.
MLB Player Props – Friday, June 2nd
| Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| Michael Wacha Under 2.5 Runs | -145 |
| Corbin Burnes Over 6.5 Strikeouts | -135 |
| Yandy Diaz Over 1.5 Hits | +155 |
Our player props betting card starts with under 2.5 runs for Michael Wacha, who’s looked like a legit NL Cy Young odds candidate since the start of May, despite technically being San Diego’s number five starter.
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Odds as of June 1 at DraftKings. Claim a DraftKings promo code to bet on MLB player props on Friday.
MLB Player Prop #1: Michael Wacha Under 2.5 Runs
Wacha earned pitcher of the month honors for May, posting a minuscule ERA of 0.84 over five starts. He allowed two or fewer runs in each outing, shutting out the opposition three times.
He allowed just 22 base runners over 32 innings, and surrendered only a single home run. Wacha’s yielded only five homers all season, while enemy hitters are slashing just .228/.281/.386 versus him.
Michael Wacha: @RoFlo's Pitch Hand Award Winner for the month of May
5 starts, 32 IP, 3 ER, 26 K, 0.84 ERA@MLBNetwork | #MLBCentral pic.twitter.com/2oTPSgOjy1
— Talking Friars (@TalkingFriars) June 1, 2023
As for Friday’s opponent, Chicago is in a funk at the plate. They’re averaging less than 2.5 runs per game over their last seven outings, and are batting a dismal .194 during that stretch.
To make matters worse for the Cubs, and to bolster Wacha’s case, is the fact that the Padres righty owns the Chicago regulars in the MLB starting lineups. Cubs batters have a career .214 average over 70 at-bats, with Ian Happ being the lone Chicago bat hitting north of .250 over more than two plate appearances.
Pick: Michael Wacha Under 2.5 Runs (-145)
MLB Player Prop #2: Corbin Burnes Over 6.5 Strikeouts
Sticking with pitchers in good form, Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes is fresh off one of his best outings of the season. He pitched 7 innings of one run ball last time out versus the Giants, sitting down eight San Fran hitters along the way. Now he gets to face NL Central rival Cincinnati, who just had their doors blown off by Boston on Thursday.
Cincinnati Reds Stats vs Corbin Burnes
| AB | AVG | SLG | OPS | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | .140 | .160 | .378 | 19 |
The Reds struck out 11 times in their blowout defeat, and rank among the top-six most strikeout happy teams in baseball. Cincy’s lineup whiffs over nine times per game on average, and have a 28% strikeout rate versus right-handers like Burnes.
Milwaukee’s ace has recorded at least seven k’s in three of his past four outings, and has posted a double-digit K/9 rate in each of his previous four seasons. He doesn’t have a ton of history versus current Reds batters, but those he’s faced have not fared well. The Reds are hitting a dismal .140 over 50 at-bats against Burnes, striking out in 38% of their plate appearances.
Pick: Corbin Burnes Over 6.5 Strikeouts (-135)
MLB Player Prop #3: Yandy Diaz Over 0.5 Hits
Last but not least, let’s target over 0.5 hits for the Rays Yandy Diaz. Baseball’s best team is in Boston on Friday, to take on the Red Sox at Fenway, aka baseball’s second most hitter friendly park.
Diaz will square off versus Garrett Whitlock, a man he’s had plenty of success against in the past. Diaz is 4-for-8 lifetime against Whitlock, with a home run. He leads the Rays in average, OBP and OPS, and is fresh off a month where he slashed .300/.398/.575.
Yandy Díaz goes yard and the Rays are up big on the Dodgers
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 26, 2023
Tampa Bay currently has one of the higher team totals on the slate and Diaz is expected to be a big contributor. He had hits in 16 of 21 games in May, rattling off a 14-game hitting streak at one point.
Pick: Yandy Diaz Over 1.5 Hits (+155)
Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
