Baseball Props and Predictions for Shohei Ohtani, Manny Machado, and Nathan Eovaldi this Friday in MLB Action
Revised Article:
Yo, let's chat about my Friday MLB player props picks, stacking two top-tier sluggers in the twilight games: Manny Machado and Shohei Ohtani. But first, let's kick things off in Texas, where Nathan Eovaldi gets the nod in Game 2 against the Astros.
Let's delve into my MLB player prop picks and Major League Baseball predictions for Friday, May 16.
Note: Parlaying these picks isn't the official recommendation; however, here's a nifty way to do so right away.
Place This Parlay Instantly!## MLB Prop Bets - Friday, May 16
- Nathan Eovaldi Over 5.5 K's (-145 · BetMGM)
- Manny Machado Over 2.5 H+R+RBI (+125 · BetMGM)
- Shohei Ohtani Over 2.5 Total Bases (+105 · BetMGM)
Astros vs Rangers Props: Eye Eovaldi's Strikeouts
Last night saw a stellar pitcher's duel between Hunter Brown and Jacob deGrom, with Brown suffering a tough 1-0 loss.
deGrom threw eight scoreless innings, fanning seven, and Nathan Eovaldi is looking to pick up where he left off.
To date, Eovaldi has been a dominant force. He's 4-2 with a 1.78 ERA and a minuscule 0.75 WHIP, ranking him first and sixth in MLB in those respective categories.
Eovaldi is also 11th in strikeouts with 60 in his first nine starts. He's registered at least seven K's in seven of those starts, including each of the past five, and struck out seven against the Astros last July.
Despite the Astros not being the easiest team to whiff, they're presently without their premier bat, with Yordan Alvarez on the IL. Over their last three games, they've managed just six runs.
Eovaldi boasts a top-tier strikeout rate, whiff rate, and chase percentage. He's worked six innings in each of the seven starts he's eclipsed this number. A K per inning should land him over the mark again.
Mariners vs Padres Props: Great Matchup for Machado
Manny Machado has amassed 345 career home runs and notched 30 or more in six separate seasons. Yes, you read that right! Crazy, isn't it? Yet, I was taken aback when I noticed he'd only hit three by the beginning of May. Don't worry; he's still reaching base consistently.
Machado sits fifth in batting average (.340) and 19th in OPS (.901). Abuzz with a 14-game hitting streak, he's collected two hits in eight of those games. Tonight, he locks horns with Padres rookie Logan Evans as the Mariners pay a visit to San Diego. Evans has struggled against right-handed batters, giving up a .353/.405/.964 slash line, two home runs, and eight RBIs over his opening three starts.
Machado's hitting .333 against right-handers. Due to his hitting streak, he's recorded at least two hits + runs + RBI in each of those games. Although some books may still offer 1.5 H+R RBI, it's likely to be 2.5 across the board by game's start, and that's perfectly fine. Machado's cleared this line in 11 of his last 14 games, averaging 3.4 per game in that span. At +125, it's a confidence-inspiring bet.
Angels vs Dodgers Props: Ohtani Continues His Rampage
Shohei Ohtani has put the hammer to the A's in the past couple of games, drilling three of his four hits for dingers. He's now up to 15 home runs, tied for the MLB lead with Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber. Excited about the prospect of him smashing one over the fence against his former team at Dodger Stadium? So are the odds: +200 for a homer.
In May, Ohtani is hitting .358 with eight homers, 18 RBIs, and an impressive 1.369 OPS. He's boosted his average from .277 to .310 thanks to six multi-hit games. This has helped him clear this line in seven of his last ten games.
This evening, Ohtani faces Angels right-hander Jack Kochanowicz, a matchup I endorse for him. Kochanowicz ranks in the 19th percentile or worse in hard-hit percentage, average exit velocity, whiff rate, and strikeout rate. Lefties are batting .308 against him this year, with two doubles, six home runs, 18 RBIs, and a .906 OPS.
Ohtani has racked up 18 extra-base hits, including 13 home runs against right-handers this season. One more homer would surpass his total base requirement. Still, he can accomplish that with a double and a single as well.
Given his impressive performance this season and the matchup against a struggling rookie pitcher, Manny Machado could generate multiple hits, runs, and RBIs for the Mariners in the game against the Padres, similar to his recent streak.
Shohei Ohtani, in his matchup against Angels right-hander Jack Kochanowicz, has the potential to record at least one extra-base hit, considering Kochanowicz's below-average stats against left-handed batters this year.
