5 Best MLB Bets, Player Props, and Home Run Picks for Sunday 8/31/25

In a given MLB slate, you've got tons of markets to dig through, from totals to home runs and strikeout props.

Which bets stand out for today's games?

Below, I'm going to run through my favorite bets in FanDuel Sportsbook's MLB betting odds. You can get additional insights from our daily MLB player prop projections.

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.

Today's Best MLB Bets, Player Props, and Home Run Picks

Milwaukee Brewers at Toronto Blue Jays

Brewers Moneyline (-104)

I suppose this line comes from optimism the Toronto Blue Jays can avoid the brooms, but they've got a ton of factors working against them to do so.

The deficit starts on the mound, where Brandon Woodruff should be a bit of an advantage over an inconsistent Max Scherzer. Woodruff's 3.10 ERA is solid, but his 2.90 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) is actually better with a dominant 32.8% K rate. The sample (46.1 IP) is climbing, but the results aren't substantially dropping.

Meanwhile, Scherzer's 4.22 SIERA is plain, and he's pacing for his worst swinging-strike rate (10.8 SwStr%) since 2011.

In August, the Brew Crew (.845) have a better team OPS against righties than the Jays (.801). Toronto also has the worst bullpen SIERA in baseball (4.56) in this time.

I just can't reasonably pick them to win today's tilt just because of how the first two games in the series have went.

Brice Turang to Hit a Home Run (+900)

Speaking of Scherzer, the long ball has been his undoing. I'm taking a total dart in the homer market against him.

The former All-Star has allowed 1.77 HR/9 overall, but that's been 2.21 HR/9 against lefties. Due to Christian Yelich's loft issues, the Brewers don't have an innate fit for a slugger on that side of the dish -- or so I thought.

Brice Turang has a team-high seven bombs against righties in the month of August, and his power numbers include a .431 ISO, 37.2% flyball rate, and 45.5% hard-hit rate.

He's projected to hit leadoff, too. I have no idea how Turang isn't shorter in this market, and our MLB player prop projections show value on this number. At 0.12 projected median homers, we'd have set him closer to +786 for a blast. Anecdotally, he shouldn't be longer than +600.

Los Angeles Angels at Houston Astros

Under 7.5 Runs (-110)

These teams haven't topped five runs in the series yet, but this is arguably the strongest pitching matchup of it.

If Spencer Arrighetti (5.07 SIERA) became a Cy Young contender against these Los Angeles Angels last night, Hunter Brown should be on no-no watch. Brown's 3.27 SIERA and 29.1% K rate have dominated most of the season, and L.A. has a bottom-three team OPS (.639) and strikeout rate (29.8%) against right-handers in the past 30 days.

Jose Soriano is a pretty safe commodity on the other side of this matchup, too. Soriano is one of MLB's best inducers of groundballs (65.6% rate) and has allowed just 0.64 HR/9 this year. He's been especially tough on righties (2.93 xFIP), which totals six of the nine projected bats in the Houston Astros' order.

Considering the Halos' bullpen has largely behaved itself in the past month (3.67 SIERA; 15th in MLB), this looks like another quick, low-scoring affair.

Chicago Cubs at Colorado Rockies

Over 5.5 Runs in First 5 Innings (-118)

Many might believe in the Chicago Cubs today, and I'm not out on their offense, but don't sleep on the Colorado Rockies' order, either.

Chicago's .678 OPS in August against righties is mediocre, but Tanner Gordon is likely the remedy. Gordon's 4.94 SIERA is poor because an 86.3% contact rate at Coors Field is just asking the BABIP gods to smash you. He's 40th percentile or worse in hard-hit rate (42.1%), whiff rate (15.1%), and average exit velocity allowed (90.1 mph).

The stronger offense actually belongs to Colorado, who have lambasted lefties for a top-10 OPS (.792) this month. Matt Boyd is vulnerable despite what his ERA (2.82) says, holding a 3.82 SIERA with flyball (43.5%) and hard-hit (38.6%) rates allowed that are far from dominant.

Both bullpens have been quite strong here. Gordon doesn't give me the confidence I need to take the Rockies' side in the first five innings, but the total presents a nice hedge that Boyd doesn't ace his first career test at Coors, either.

Hunter Goodman to Record 2+ Total Bases (-110)

What is this prop? Hunter Goodman is 12th-shortest on the bases board at MLB's friendliest park for hitters in a split he's destroying.

Goodman's walk rate in August against southpaws (8.3%) is no obstacle here, either. In terms of damage, the Rox's catcher has dished out plenty, including a .969 OPS, .304 ISO, 50.0% flyball rate, and 50.0% hard-hit rate. He has 3 extra-base hits in 23 recorded at-bats.

Boyd's 10.5 SwStr% is pacing for his work mark since 2021, and righties have had a much better time with bombs (1.13 HR/9) than a near shoutout that the lefty has mustered in same-handed matchups.

Our projections expect 1.84 median total bases from Goodman today, implying closer to -122 odds on this mark.

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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.