Welcome to another full day of Major League Baseball action with games stretching from the afternoon into late night on Thursday. There are a ton of ways to go for MLB player props and MLB Underdog plays for tonight's daily fantasy baseball slate. Our MLB picks to target on Underdog Fantasy tonight feature a couple of strikeout props for New York Mets right-hander Justin Verlander and Chicago Cubs lefty Drew Smyly. Check out these free MLB player props and MLB daily picks on Underdog Fantasy as you enter “Pick'Em” contests tonight. Don't forget to check out the latest MLB weather report and the confirmed MLB lineups when placing those MLB betting picks. Plus, the MLB daily projections and MLB Batter vs Pitcher page will help you find the best matchups for MLB player props and MLB DFS lineups. Let's dive into the top MLB player picks on Underdog Fantasy for Thursday, June 8th.

 

Justin Verlander, New York Mets – UNDER 5.5 Strikeouts

Betting against a future Hall of Fame pitcher like Justin Verlander is obviously risky, but the numbers point us in that direction today. Despite tossing eight strikeouts last outing, Verlander has gone under 5.5 Ks in four of six starts this season. His 20.5% strikeout rate so far is the lowest it’s been since 2014. There are also a few other concerning stats with the 40-year-old Verlander, who seems to have taken a notable step back from his Cy Young season of last year. His ERA, walk rate, barrel rate, hard-hit rate, and more advanced metrics are all the worse they’ve been in 8-9 years. Now he has to face an Atlanta Braves offense that’s been among the league’s best against right-handed pitching. Over the past week, specifically, the Braves have a 20.1% K rate (7th-lowest in MLB) and .378 wOBA (best) vs righties. Expect Verlander’s strikeouts to be limited on the road in this matchup. 

Drew Smyly, Chicago Cubs – UNDER 4.5 Strikeouts

Let’s roll with another under in the strikeout prop department. Drew Smyly has been under 4.5 strikeouts in seven of 12 starts this season and now gets one of his toughest matchups yet. The Los Angeles Angels are a top-5 offense against left-handed pitching this season with a .346 wOBA and .282 BA. Over the past two weeks, the Angels’ walk rate vs. lefties is up at 10.8% with a top-tier .374 wOBA and .281 BA. The one thing going against us is LA’s hefty 30.4% K rate against southpaws over this recent span. We can be willing to look past that, though, because Smyly isn’t usually a high-strikeout pitcher. Another factor is Smyly tends to have fewer K’s in road starts than at home. The Chicago Cubs lefty has only 24 strikeouts in 35 road innings this season compared to 33 K’s in 30.2 home frames. He’s been under 4.5 strikeouts in four of five road outings, too.

 

MLB Best Bets

If you are looking for some MLB Best Bets today, make sure you check out our MLB betting picks for today's slate of games.

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