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MLB Player Prop Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (6/3)

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Our two MLB player prop articles from Tuesday and Thursday each provided profitable 2-1 days, with all four victories cashing plus-money wagers. We have identified our three best player props from Saturday’s loaded 16-game slate to end the week on a high note.

View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet >>

Saturday’s Best MLB Player Prop Bets

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Bryan Reynolds Over 0.5 RBIs vs. Cardinals (+180) 

Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds got off to an awful start in May, going without an RBI for the first 14 games. However, he has caught fire with 13 RBIs in his last 12 games.

Pay attention to the lineups when they get released, as the Pirates have hit Reynolds both ahead of and behind Andrew McCutchen. We would like this wager a lot better if Reynolds were slotted behind him in the lineup since McCutchen leads the team with a .375 on-base percentage, a big reason why he is second among all Pirates with 29 runs scored. McCutchen should benefit from the righty-lefty split against St. Louis Cardinals southpaw Jordan Montgomery and again make his way on base a lot, as he has four hits and one walk in 11 career at-bats against him. And per Inside Edge, Reynolds entered Friday slugging .750 on breaking pitches, the best in MLB among hitters with at least 81 plate appearances. That is important against Montgomery, who utilizes a sinker and curveball as his two most thrown pitches. 

The Cardinals have lost nine consecutive games started by Montgomery, with the opposition averaging 5.1 runs per game in that span. So while the Under has cashed in six of the Cardinals’ last seven games, we expect the Pirates to score in this contest, with Reynolds making an impact.

And do you want one more reason why Reynolds to drive in a run is a good bet? Have a look at what Jay Cuda dug up…

Drew Smyly Over 3.5 strikeouts vs. Padres (-155)

Chicago Cubs southpaw Drew Smyly is coming off a two-strikeout performance against the Cincinnati Reds, tying a season low. However, he struck out a season-high 10 batters against the best offense he has faced all season (the Los Angeles Dodgers), so the San Diego Padres’ star-studded lineup that has scored the 24th-most runs in the league should not seem too intimidating.

Smyly’s ten-strikeout performance against the Dodgers came in his second consecutive start against them. We expect Smyly to make similar adjustments the second time facing San Diego after striking out four Padres on April 26. 

The Padres rank in the bottom 10 in strikeout rate (23.6%) against southpaws. So while the Over is 3-0-1 in Smyly’s last four starts, the fact that his 22% strikeout rate is on pace to be his highest in a full season since 2019 makes there too much value with this number to ignore.

Gerrit Cole Over 2.5 earned runs allowed vs. Dodgers (+100)

If New York Yankees ace wants to remain near the top of the American League Cy Young Award leaderboard all season (he is currently second behind Shane McClanahan), he must better navigate the league’s best offenses. Cole had pitched to a 5.00 ERA in three starts against top-three offenses when he faced the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays (twice). He now faces the Los Angeles Dodgers’ top-three scoring offense, which should inflate his 2.93 ERA.

To make matters worse, the two most feared hitters in L.A.’s lineup, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, have done the most damage against Cole. Betts and Freeman each have a 1.127 OPS or higher in their careers against Cole while going a combined 12-for-28 (.429) with four extra-base hits. And now is not the best time to face Freeman, as he has hit safely in 20 of 21 games and just finished a month where he hit .400 and set franchise records in doubles (17) and extra-base hits (24). 

New York may have its ace, but Cole has been shaky, with 5+ earned runs allowed in three of his last five starts. Thus, the Over has an excellent chance of cashing in L.A.’s sixth consecutive interleague game, with its offense doing much of the damage.

Check out our other best bets for Saturday:


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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.

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