Best MLB Prop Bets Today | MLB Player Props May 31

Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago Cubs

My Pick: Cubs to score first (+135 at PointsBet)

Our first MLB prop bet for Wednesday comes from Chicago, where the Cubs will host the Tampa Bay Rays in a battle of excellent starting pitching. Zach Elfin takes the mound for the Rays, while Justin Steele is on the hill for the Cubs, both of whom have at least six wins already on the year. In this matchup of quality starters, we will take the Cubs to get on the scoreboard first on Wednesday.

A big reason we like the Cubs to score first in this game is the fact that Elfin has been way worse on the road than he has been at home. Elfin is 6-0 at home with an ERA of 2.19 in his six starts at Tropicana Field on the year. Meanwhile, he is just 1-1 with an ERA of 5.29 in his road starts in 2023. That discrepancy will work in the favor of the Cubs in this game, allowing them to score first.

Also worth noting is that Justin Steele is excellent at Wrigley Field, as he is 4-1 with a 2.65 ERA at home so far this season. While the Rays have one of the most dangerous lineups in all of baseball, Steele will continue rolling at Wrigley to keep the Rays at bay before the Cubs get on the scoreboard.

San Diego Padres vs Miami Marlins

My Pick: Blake Snell over 4.5 hits allowed (-140 at DraftKings)

We will stay in the National League for our next MLB prop bet of the day, this time focusing on the matchup between the San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins. In this game, we expect Blake Snell to give up at least five hits in this contest, as Snell’s struggles should continue even against one of the more anemic lineups in all of baseball.

So far this season, Snell has gone 1-6 with a 5.04 ERA, giving up 47 hits in 50 innings of work. That is just shy of one hit allowed per inning so far this season, and staying right at that average should be enough to get us over five hits on the Miami side during Snell’s time in this game. Snell has allowed at least five hits in five of his 10 starts on the year, and we expect that trend to continue.

Bettors should also not be afraid of backing the Marlins' offense to get to the five-hit mark in this game. While the Marlins are near the bottom of the league in runs scored for the season, they are 10th in the league in hits. To cash this prop, the Marlins do not need to convert their hits into runs, they just need to keep racking up the hits against one of the worse starting pitchers in the National League.

New York Yankees vs Seattle Mariners

My Pick: Jarred Kelenic to hit a home run (+450 at FanDuel)

Jarred Kelenic has gone seven games without a home run, as his hot start to the season has fizzled out somewhat of late. But we like Kelenic to get back in the home run saddle in this Wednesday matchup between the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees. A lot of that has to do with the starting pitching for the Yankees in this matchup between American League rivals.

Clarke Schmidt is set to take the mound for the Yankees to start this contest, which has typically meant bad things for New York in 2023. Schmidt is 2-5 with a 5.58 ERA, and the Yankees have lost seven of the 11 games that he has started during this campaign. He has been a little better as of late, but he has allowed eight home runs this year and will allow some hard contact again in this matchup.

Schmidt has also been crushed by left-handed hitters so far this season, allowing lefties to hit .354 against him on the year. That is just over 100 points better than the average Schmidt is allowing to right-handed bats. Kelenic should be able to benefit from facing a pitcher who has been so bad against lefties through the first two months of this season.

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