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MLB Player Props & Best Bets Today: Is Snell Overlooked in Matchup With Giants?

Mike Spector

Last Updated: September 2, 2023 9:19 AM EDT • 5 min 2 sec read.

An exciting 15-game Major League Baseball slate should do well to compete with the first full weekend of college football. Read on for our top MLB prop picks and best bets for Saturday based on the best MLB odds from our best MLB betting sites.

The National League MVP race amped up considerably after Thursday’s series opener between the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers, as Ronald Acuna Jr. homered to become the first player ever with 30 home runs and 60 stolen bases in a season. However, Mookie Betts added two home runs and four RBIs in a losing effort, and Acuna matched him with two home runs overall with a solo blast in Friday night’s victory.

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

Check out our World Series odds.

Saturday’s MLB schedule and odds

(odds via DraftKings)

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Saturday’s MLB best bets

  • Player prop: Shohei Ohtani Under 1.5 total bases (-115 via bet365) vs. Athletics ⭐⭐⭐
  • Player prop: Cedric Mullins Under 0.5 hits (+165 via bet365) vs. Diamondbacks ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Player prop: Blake Snell Over 7.5 strikeouts (-135 via bet365) vs. Giants ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Run line: Blue Jays -1.5 vs. Rockies (-115 via BetRivers) ⭐⭐⭐

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Saturday’s MLB prop picks

Player prop: Shohei Ohtani Under 1.5 total bases vs. Athletics (-115 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐

Los Angeles Angels slugger Shohei Ohtani has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, but we cannot help but be concerned about his hitting outlook for the rest of the season after being shut down from pitching with a UCL tear. While Ohtani is 8-for-22 with three doubles since the injury, he has also walked eight times, as teams are pitching to him less with Mike Trout not in the lineup to protect him. Ohtani’s slugging percentage has decreased drastically over the previous three months, from .952 in June to .705 in July and .579 in August.

This is a three-star play, as nine of Ohtani’s last 14 hits have gone for extra bases, and he is 4-for-8 with a home run and a .556 wOBA against Oakland Athletics right Paul Blackburn. However, while Blackburn has allowed a .297 OBA against left-handed hitters this season, he has surrendered just one home run and 15 total extra-base hits in 145 at-bats. In addition, we are backing him while his in the midst of his hottest streak of the season, as he has pitched to a 2.36 ERA over his last seven starts, with six or fewer hits allowed four times in that span and quality starts in five of his previous six.

All sportsbooks are juiced to the Under, but DraftKings and Caesars are slightly higher at -120 and -131, respectively.

Player prop: Cedric Mullins Under 0.5 hits vs. Diamondbacks (+165 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Baltimore Orioles centerfielder Cedric Mullins has three hits in his last 22 at-bats and is slashing .111/.238/.333 over the previous seven days. He is coming off an August where his .188 batting average, .221 on-base percentage, and .391 slugging were his worst of any month where he had 35-plus at-bats. Now he faces Arizona Diamondbacks rookie Slade Cecconi, who has been tough on left-handed hitters in his first five appearances (three starts).

Cecconi has allowed a .194 OBA and 0.90 WHIP to left-handed hitters. And on his primary two pitches, fastball and slider, which Cecconi throws a combined 86.5% of the time, he has OBAs of .184 and .125, respectively. 

DraftKings and Caesars offer +155 and +145 odds for Mullins to go hitless, making bet365 the best shop for value.

Player prop: Blake Snell Over 7.5 strikeouts vs. Giants (-135 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Much of the attention in the pitching matchup in this game is focused on San Francisco Giants lefty Kyle Harrison, who became the first starting pitcher in franchise history to strike out the first five batters of a game since 2009. In addition, he was the second starting pitcher this century in MLB to have 10-plus strikeouts in his second career start. Thus, San Diego Padres southpaw Blake Snell is going largely unnoticed in a game we expect him to dominate.

Since July 1, the Giants have the second-worst strikeout rate (28.6%) in road games against left-handed pitchers. Snell should have little issue navigating a lineup that also ranks 29th or worse in wRC+, OPS, and wOBA in that split. The southpaw has the second-lowest ERA (2.12) and fifth-lowest OBA (.177) of any starting pitcher since the All-Star break (min. 30 IP) and has had great swing-and-miss stuff with eight-plus strikeouts in four of his previous six starts.

bet365 charges the least juice to back the Over, while Caesars is as high as -155 comparatively. Those who think Snell can reach an even higher strikeout total will be tempted by FanDuel’s differing line of O/U 8.5 strikeouts, with the Over paying +112 odds.

Saturday’s MLB game picks

Run line: Blue Jays -1.5 vs. Rockies (-115 via BetRivers) ⭐⭐⭐

The Toronto Blue Jays have won back-to-back games for the first time in nearly two weeks, and their overall lack of momentum has dropped them 1.5 games out of a wild-card spot. However, when the Blue Jays win, they typically win big, outscoring their opponents by three or more runs in their last six victories.

Blue Jays southpaw Yusei Kikuchi has only lost once in his last nine starts and pitched to a 2.41 ERA over his previous seven, with four quality starts in that span. Kikuchi has an 8.98 K/9 rate in his road starts this year, and he faces a Colorado Rockies lineup that is the worst in wRC+ (64) against left-handed pitching in home games this year. To put that poor number into perspective, the 15-run gap between them and the next-lowest team (the Cleveland Guardians, with a 79 wRC+ in that split) is bigger than the gap between the Guardians and the 24th-ranked team.

This is a three-star play, as Colorado has covered the run line in 43.1% of its home games this year (28-37), while Toronto is covering at over a 50% clip (50-48) in non-division games.

BetRivers is the only sportsbook where one can lay the -1.5 runs at lower than -118 odds.

MLB best bets made 9/2/2023 at 5:57 a.m. ET.

MLB betting odds pages

World Series OddsMLB Hits Leader OddsMLB RBI Leader Odds
MLB Rookie of the Year OddsMLB Wins Leader OddsMLB Win Totals
MLB MVP OddsMLB Home Run Leader OddsMLB Best Regular Season Record Odds
MLB Cy Young Award OddsMLB Strikeout Leader OddsMLB Home Run Derby Odds
MLB Stolen Base Leader Odds

Here are our best MLB betting sites:

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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.