3 MLB Best Bets and Player Props for Thursday 9/19/24

Baseball has you covered if you want a large inventory of options to bet.

From moneylines to run totals to player props, we have plenty of ways to bet the long, arduous MLB schedule daily. Outlooks can be vastly different due to starting pitchers, and a wealth of advanced stats can let us know if an individual pitcher, a bullpen, or a team is due for positive -- or negative -- regression.

Using numberFire's game predictions and FanDuel Research's daily MLB projections as a guide, which MLB odds from FanDuel Sportsbook are most appealing today?

Note: Lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise. Please check here to make sure you're seeing the most updated projections.

Today's Best MLB Bets and Player Props

New York Yankees at Seattle Mariners

Under 7.5 Runs (-124)

Both offenses should have a hard time scoring runs today when the Seattle Mariners host the New York Yankees at 4:10 p.m. ET.

Logan Gilbert is going for Seattle, and he's been excellent in 2024, generating a 3.25 SIERA and 26.9% strikeout rate, both of which are career-best clips. He's been especially lights out in the second half, pitching to a 2.43 xFIP in the split.

Clarke Schmidt is taking the ball for New York, and he's got really good numbers, as well, including a 3.72 SIERA and 25.9% K rate.

The Yankees' offense is definitely the scarier of the two, and while New York's lineup is getting healthier, welcoming back Anthony Rizzo and Jasson Dominguez, it's still a lineup that relies heavily on the star duo of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. Fortunately, Gilbert has been superb against both lefties (28.7% K rate) and righties (.242 wOBA), so he might be able to keep Judge and Soto quiet.

Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals

Brendan Donovan to Record an RBI (+170)

Brendan Donovan is quietly having a solid campaign for the St. Louis Cardinals, and I like him to drive in a run today at +170 odds.

Overall in 2024, Donovan has put together a .335 expected wOBA and 37.6% fly-ball rate while striking out only 12.5% of the time. His fly-ball rate jumps to 40.1% against right-handers, and that's what he'll see at the start tonight as Luis Ortiz is slated to pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Ortiz is giving up 1.70 homers per nine to lefties along with a 44.8% fly-ball rate. He's been tagged for seven earned runs across his last two starts (9 2/3 innings).

Donovan will likely be slotted fifth in the Cards' lineup, right behind Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado and Alec Burleson. That's a good spot for RBI chances, and with St. Louis listed at -164 to go over 3.5 runs, Donovan can get in on the action.

Washington Nationals at Chicago Cubs

Cubs Moneyline and Isaac Paredes to Get a Hit (+103)

The Chicago Cubs are at home today versus Patrick Corbin and the Washington Nationals. The matchup with Corbin should explain both legs of this Same Game Parlay.

Despite putting up improved numbers this season, Corbin still has just a 4.39 SIERA. His expected xERA is much worse at 5.45. In short, Corbin is still mostly the same Corbin, and he's been particularly bad against right-handed hitters, permitting a .373 wOBA and 1.44 homers per nine in the split.

A Cubs offense with Seiya Suzuki, Dansby Swanson, Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner and Isaac Paredes all swinging from the right side today should be able to do some damage. As such, the Cubs are -122 to go over 4.5 runs and -174 to win.

Paredes is really good with the platoon advantage, so I want to focus on him with the second leg. In the split in 2024, he's slugged his way to a .382 wOBA and 41.5% fly-ball rate. He is -230 to get a hit today.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.