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MLB Player Prop Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (5/2)

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Raise your hand if you had tonight’s series opener between the Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates in early May to feature the best American and National League teams. No one should have their hands raised, and oddsmakers are still not sold on Pittsburgh, who has the 12th-best odds at DraftKings to win the NL pennant.

Are any Rays or Pirates players among our best player prop bets today?

Here are our best MLB player prop bets for Tuesday.

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

Tuesday’s Best MLB Player Prop Bets

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings)

Cody Bellinger Over 0.5 RBI vs. Nationals

In Cody Bellinger’s MVP year of 2019, he slashed .305/.406/.629 and led the league with 351 total bases. Entering Monday, Bellinger was slashing .297/.371/.604, all his highest since that MVP season, and his 56 total bases are second on the team. Thus, whether it is a new location for the first time in his career or the banning of shifts against him, Bellinger is enjoying a resurgent year at the plate. 

Bellinger now faces Washington Nationals righty Trevor Williams, who he has taken deep twice in eight at-bats. Bellinger has a .500 wOBA against Williams, whose xERA is more than two runs higher than his actual ERA (6.27 compared to 4.10). Bellinger should have plenty of traffic on the basepaths when he comes to the plate, as Chicago entered Monday with the best OBP from 1-2-3 slot in the lineup in the majors. Bellinger has produced at least one RBI in eight of his last 12 games and is a great value to drive in at least one run again.

Bet: Bellinger Over 0.5 RBI (+135 at DraftKings) 

Joe Ryan not to record a win vs. White Sox

One of the starting pitchers in this game has a 5-0 record and 2.81 ERA and is part of a rotation that ranks third overall in ERA. The other starting pitcher is 0-3 with a 7.01 ERA, yet his team is just a +140 moneyline underdog in this game. Oddsmakers are clearly giving the Chicago White Sox more than a puncher’s chance in this series opener against the Minnesota Twins, and we are finding value in fading Joe Ryan to earn the win against the Michael Kopech-led White Sox.

The Twins have done what they should do this season, winning nine of their 13 games against teams under .500. Conversely, those looking for excuses for the Chicago White Sox starting 8-21 can claim that the schedule has been brutal, with 26 of the 29 games coming against opponents over .500. However, even amid Chicago’s disappointing 81-81 season last year, it still won nine of 19 meetings with Minnesota, and we are hopeful Sunday’s rally from four runs down in the ninth inning against the Rays to snap a ten-game losing streak ignites a spark. 

This qualifies as a fishy line considering Michael Kopech’s WAR is the lowest among all White Sox starting pitchers, while Joe Ryan ranks in the top quarter of the league in xBA and barrels. However, Kopech has faced two of the American League’s best offenses (Tampa Bay and Toronto) on the road the last two starts and should bounce back against a Twins offense that is in the bottom half of the league in wOBA, wRC+, and OPS when facing right-handed pitchers in road games this season. 

Amid Chicago’s ten-game losing streak, the opposing pitcher won six times. However, we are not entirely convinced the Twins will win this game outright.

Bet: Ryan not to record a win (-140 at DraftKings)

Freddy Peralta Over 5.5 strikeouts vs. Rockies

Milwaukee Brewers righty Freddy Peralta has seen his strikeout rate decline in the previous four seasons, and his 9.7 K/9 rate is on pace to be his lowest since 2020. In addition, the concern about backing a pitcher prop in a game at Coors Field is that starting pitchers are always susceptible to shorter outings, given the propensity for high-scoring games. However, we are still making the Over on Peralta’s strikeouts a three-star play considering he has struck out 14 of 22 batters faced at Coors Field.

Peralta has recorded 4+ strikeouts in all five starts this season (7+ in three of five) and is coming off a season-high eight strikeouts against the Detroit Tigers. The Colorado Rockies rank 15th in strikeout rate (24.0%), and given that they rank 27th in wRC+ against right-handed pitching, we are hopeful Peralta can complete at least six innings for the fourth time this season, thus maximizing his opportunities for strikeouts.

Bet: Peralta Over 5.5 strikeouts (+100 at DraftKings)

Also, take a look at our other best bets for Tuesday:


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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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