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MLB Player Props & Best Bets Today: Will Altuve Continue to Spark Astros' Offense?

Mike Spector

Last Updated: September 13, 2023 4:28 PM EDT • 4 min 57 sec read.

Wednesday is getaway day around Major League Baseball, and we're treated to four afternoon games for our top MLB prop picks and best bets based on the best MLB odds.

All four early games have huge playoff implications, as the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants are involved in separate series finales as they try to improve their positioning in the NL wild-card race.

In the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays look to stay in the hunt for the AL East crown while the Minnesota Twins look to trim their magic number even further (they start the day at 10 to clinch the AL Central).

Elsewhere, the Seattle Mariners aim to maintain their spot in one of the three AL wild-card positions with a win in the series finale against the Los Angeles Angels.

Here are our top MLB prop picks and best bets for Wednesday (odds via our best MLB betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Check out our World Series odds.

Wednesday's MLB schedule and odds

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Wednesday's MLB best bets

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Wednesday's MLB prop picks

Player prop: Jose Altuve Over 0.5 runs scored vs. Athletics (-125 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve is coming off winning AL Player of the Week honors after going 10-for-28 with six home runs, eight RBIs, nine runs scored, and a 1.400 OPS. Even when Altuve is not plating himself with home runs, he is backed by a lineup that has led the majors in wRC+ since Aug. 1 and also ranks in the top five in BABIP, ISO, and OPS in that span.

This is a four-star play, as Altuve has slashed .462/.533/.692 in 13 career at-bats against Oakland A’s righty Paul Blackburn. Blackburn has had a rough go against current Astros hitters, allowing a .287/.351/.537 slash line in 101 combined at-bats, suggesting there are plenty of bats to drive in Altuve when he gets on base.

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With DraftKings and Caesars slightly higher at -130 and -135 odds, respectively, bet365 is our go-to best sportsbook for this wager.

Player prop: Jameson Taillon to record a win vs. Rockies (+145 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐

Chicago Cubs righty Jameson Taillon has made a huge in-season turnaround and become a starting pitcher whom the team can rely on down the stretch. Before the All-Star break, Taillon pitched to a 6.15 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and .275 OBA. Since the All-Star break, those numbers have improved to a 4.23 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and .255 OBA.

Taillon received a hard-luck no-decision in his last start after allowing just one hit in six scoreless innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he has pitched to a 2.66 ERA in his previous seven starts against teams with lower than a 20% chance to make the playoffs currently.

The Cubs' lineup should provide him with run support against Ty Blach, who has allowed nine earned runs on 17 hits over his last 11 innings to two teams that rank in the bottom half of the league in scoring.

The +145 odds found at bet365 are great value compared to Caesars’ +123 odds for the same wager.

Player prop: Kyle Harrison Under 5.5 strikeouts vs. Guardians (-140 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐

San Francisco Giants lefty Kyle Harrison broke into the big leagues in a big way, becoming the first southpaw in the modern era to record a 40% strikeout rate or better through his first two MLB starts, per OptaSTATS. And though he has recorded five strikeouts apiece in his two starts since, one of those came against a Rockies team with the third-highest strikeout rate in the majors.

We expect Harrison not to have his best swing-and-miss stuff when facing a Cleveland Guardians group with the lowest strikeout rate (18.8%) of any team in the majors.

This is a three-star play, as Harrison has allowed 10 runs in 10 2/3 innings this month, and the more he establishes he is prone to big innings, the more manager Gabe Kapler will rely on a bullpen that ranks fifth in xFIP and limit Harrison’s ceiling for strikeouts. 

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DraftKings and FanDuel have the best price for this market at -140 odds, while Caesars and bet365 are higher at -152 and -155, respectively.

Wednesday's MLB game picks

Moneyline: Rays ML vs. Twins (-122 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Minnesota Twins are 4-0 in Dallas Keuchel’s last four starts but have provided him with nearly six runs per game of support. Tampa Bay Rays righty Taj Bradley may be winless in his previous seven starts while pitching to a 6.55 ERA in that span, but the team has won each of his last two starts, and its 22-9 record against AL Central teams is its best against any division this year.

Bradley has pitched to a 3.97 ERA this month, with most of the damage coming via the long ball, as he has allowed three home runs in 11 1/3 innings. And while the Twins rank in the top five of the league in home runs, Bradley’s ERA, OBA, and GO/AO ratio are all better on the road than at home this season, and his 24.3% fly-ball rate suggests regression should be coming from in the home runs allowed department.

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FanDuel is the only one of our best sports betting apps at which one can back the Rays at cheaper than -125 odds.

MLB best bets made 9/13/2023 at 6:21 a.m. ET.

MLB betting odds pages

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Written By:
Mike Spector
I have been in the sports writing industry for over three years, working for sites like BettingPros/FantasyPros, Oddschecker, and Sportsbook Review. In my first year writing for BettingPros, I finished with the #2 overall record in their annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an over/under and moneyline perspective. I am an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, and all college sports. In my opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and I am especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. I am a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." Follow me on Twitter for my best bets and commentary to go along with the wagers.