Justin K. Aller / Getty Images. Pictured: Eric Lauer
Throughout this season, I’ll be evaluating my favorite MLB player props from each slate based on what the Action Labs Player Prop tool likes — the tool grades each bet on a scale from 1-10, with 10 being the best possible grade.
Below, I have laid out three prop bets that I am playing for Sunday, the case for each bet and the best books to find odds on those player props.
MLB Player Props & Picks
Eric Lauer — Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-150)
| Brewers vs. Pirates | Brewers (-200) |
| Time | 1:05 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | PointsBet |
Eric Lauer rounds out the back end of one of the best starting rotation’s in the league, throwing behind three Cy Young candidates in Burnes, Woodruff and Peralta. The 26-year old is in his fourth season and has a 3.30 ERA in 11 starts this year.
Over his last five outings, Lauer has been excellent, posting a 3-1 record and 1.44 ERA. He has pitched at least five innings in all five starts, finishing six in three of them.
While Lauer is not a huge strikeout guy and has just an 8.70 K/9 rate, he is pitching really well right now and facing a weak Pirates team. This is a low enough total that he has reached in seven of his 11 starts.
Action Labs Grade: 10/10
Sonny Gray — Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-130)
| Reds vs. Phillies | Phillies (-140) |
| Time | 1:05 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | BetMGM |
Sonny Gray has had a bit of an up-and-down career. He was an All-Star in Oakland, struggled with the Yankees, was an All-Star against for the Reds in 2019 and is having a bit of a down year again this year.
Gray has battled injuries all season and has made just 17 starts, going 4-6 with a 4.40 ERA. The one area that has not been a problem for Gray is his strikeout numbers. He has consistently climbed his strikeout rate his entire career, sitting with a career-best 11.62 K/9 rate this season.
Usually pitchers rely on their sinker to generate ground balls and soft contact, but for Gray he uses his sinker as a punch-out pitch, generating a 39.1% K%. He is averaging 6.5 strikeouts per start this year, and has gone over this total in 12 of his 17 starts, including earlier in the year against the Phillies when he struck out eight batters in less than five innings.
Action Labs Grade: 8/10
Reid Detmers — Under 4.5 Strikeouts (-120)
| Angels vs. Astros | Astros (-194) |
| Time | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | FanDuel |
The Angels No. 2 overall prospect and 2020 first round pick, Reid Detmers, will make his third career big-league start on Sunday. He made his MLB debut on August 1, and his first two starts have gone poorly.
Detmers is 0-2 with a 10.61 ERA and has allowed at least five runs in each of his first two starts. The schedule has not done him any favors, as his first two starts game against the A’s and the Dodgers. He now gets the pleasure of facing the Astros, who crush left-handed pitching, leading the league in wRC+.
Houston strikes out the least often in the majors, and even less against lefties. I expect the Astros to knock the young rookie out of this game before he reaches five strikeouts.
Action Labs Grade: 10/10
