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After a travel Thursday, we’re back with a full Friday night slate around MLB on May 5. Which means only one thing: Even more opportunity than usual to find enticing player props. Here are three of our favorites for today.
MLB player prop bets: Friday, May 5th
Kodai Senga, over 5.5 strikeouts (-140)
There’s admittedly not a ton of juice here, but sometimes you just have to pounce on a great number. Senga’s had some struggles in his first year in the Majors, but strikeouts have certainly not been one of them — the righty has fallen short of six Ks exactly once over his first five outings, with 32 strikeouts in just 26 innings pitched. Now he gets a home date against a Colorado Rockies team that’s punchless away from Coors Field, with the league’s third-highest road strikeout rate at 27.1%.
Max Fried, over 17.5 outs recorded (-110)
I have a feeling this number is being held down by some freak circumstances beyond Fried’s control early this season. The lefty has pitched into the sixth just once this year, but consider the context: He left his Opening Day start against the Washington Nationals in the fourth inning with a hamstring strain, then was only allowed to throw 79 pitches in his return from the IL against the San Diego Padres, and just last weekend he had his most recent outing against the New York Mets cut short after five shutout innings due to rain.
Fried has been on pace to reach the sixth every time he’s taken the mound, and he remains among the best inducers of weak contact in baseball — key for going deep into games. The Baltimore Orioles have hit lefties pretty well this season, but they haven’t seen one like Fried; knocking him out in the fifth will be a tall task.
Freddie Freeman, over 1.5 total bases (+115)
This one’s pretty simple. Freeman’s been scorching over the last couple weeks, slashing .348/.404/.587 with seven extra-base hits (including two homers) in his last 11 games. Now he gets a matchup against Yu Darvish, a pitcher against whom he’s slugging .720 over 28 career plate appearances. We’ll bank on Freddie picking up at least one extra-base knock on Friday night.