MLB Player Props Today & Monday's Expert Picks: Can Hicks Slow Down Dodgers?

All 28 of 30 teams in action, there are plenty wagering of options as we dive into our top MLB player props and expert picks based on today's best MLB odds.

Monday's 14-game slate starts at 6:35 p.m. ET at Oriole Park at Camden Yards when the struggling Toronto Blue Jays face the Baltimore Orioles.

The Tampa Bay Rays head to Fenway Park to take on the Boston Red Sox at 7:10 p.m. ET in another AL East clash.

The visiting World Series odds-favorite Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants cap off Monday night in an NL West showdown. First pitch from Oracle Park is expected for 9:45 p.m. ET, and we're focusing on one of the starting pitchers in that game with our top MLB player props.

Here are our MLB player props and expert picks for Monday (MLB picks based on odds via our best MLB betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Monday’s MLB expert picks

• Colin Rea Under 4.5 strikeouts (+135 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐
• Jordan Hicks 5-plus strikeouts (+160 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐

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MLB player props

Colin Rea Under 4.5 strikeouts ⭐⭐⭐

Game info: Pirates vs. Brewers| Moneyline: Brewers (-150 via Betway) | Total: Over 8.5 (+100)/Under 8.5 (-120) via Betway | Start time: 7:40 p.m. ET

Milwaukee Brewers right-handed veteran Colin Rea has never been a strikeout machine, but he's setting career lows across the board in that department this season.

His 5.87 strikeouts per nine innings are nearly two fewer than what he managed last season, and he owns a career-worst 15.1 K rate. However, he also enters this contest with a career-best 3.29 ERA, so maybe it's working?

We'll see if Rea takes the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. For their part, the Pirates own the sixth-highest strikeout rate in the majors, so they may force Rea's hand with their sheer inability to make contact.

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Rea's projection on Monday is 4.71, which doesn't give us a ton of breathing room from the five strikeouts he'd need to go Over this total. However, we're getting value through these plus-money odds, as this bet is showing roughly 16% positive expected value.

Pinnacle, which features one of the most respected trading teams in the sports betting industry, opened with Rea's total set at 5.5, but the Under was immediately smashed and the total was moved to 4.5. It opened that new total with the Under priced at +117.

Best odds: +135 via bet365

Jordan Hicks 5-plus strikeouts ⭐⭐⭐

Game info: Dodgers vs. Giants | Moneyline: Dodgers (-190 via Betway) | Total: Over 7.5 (-115)/Under 7.5 (-105) via Betway | Start time: 9:45 p.m. ET

I backed San Francisco Giants right-hander Jordan Hicks in his last start against the Colorado Rockies, and he came through with five strikeouts over five innings. We'll need him to do the same thing on Monday when he takes on the Los Angeles Dodgers and their trio of MLB MVP odds contenders.

The Dodgers are in the upper third in the league in terms of strikeout rate, and they pair that with MLB's best walk rate, so Hicks will have his work cut out for him.

However, Hicks is projected for 5.23 strikeouts on Monday following his similar effort in Colorado. Most of our best sports betting sites have Hicks' total set at 3.5, with the best odds coming via DraftKings. Based on this projection, we're getting roughly 32% +EV through those odds.

We're targeting Hicks' alt Over at bet365, though, which is miles better than FanDuel's +122 odds on Over 4.5. That's by far the highest EV play on the board and mirrors how we attacked Hicks' strikeout prop in his last start. So let's go back to the well.

Best odds: +160 via bet365

MLB player props made Monday at 8 a.m. ET.

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