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Saturday's MLB Player Props & Expert Picks: Can Gallen Dazzle Against Tigers?

Mike Spector

Last Updated: May 18, 2024 3:33 PM EDT • 4 min 22 sec read.

Saturday’s Major League Baseball slate is full with 15 games, and we offer our top MLB prop picks and best bets for Saturday based on the best MLB odds.

The Chicago Cubs, one of the few MLB teams yet to experience a three-game losing streak in 2024, risk breaking that streak after losing the first two games of their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pirates' pitcher Paul Skenes displayed dominance in his second start, while Cubs rookie Shota Imanaga aims to keep his perfect record intact as he takes the mound on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles are locked in a three-game series between divisional contenders. Additionally, a key matchup looms in the AL Central as the Minnesota Twins take on the Cleveland Guardians.

Here are our MLB player props and expert picks for Saturday (MLB picks based on odds via our best MLB betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Saturday’s MLB expert picks

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MLB player props

Luis Gil Under 1.5 earned runs ⭐⭐⭐⭐

DraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMCaesarsbet365
Odds-140N/A-145-145-135

Game info: Chicago White Sox vs. New York Yankees | Moneyline: Yankees (-330 via Betway) | Total: 8.5 via Betway | Start time: 1:05 p.m. ET

The New York Yankees face a tough decision about who to remove from the rotation when ace Gerrit Cole is healthy. But Luis Gil is doing everything in his power to make sure it's not him.

Gil has pitched to an impressive 2.51 ERA through eight starts, but the Yankees will likely be cautious after he threw just 33 1/3 innings before 2024. However, a shorter-than-usual outing works in our favor of this wager, and we have full confidence Gil can dominate a Chicago White Sox lineup that ranks 26th in batting average and 29th or worse in on-base percentage and slugging against right-handed pitching this year.

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Gil has allowed two or fewer earned runs in six of his eight starts. This is a four-star play since he's been on fire with one earned run allowed over 18 1/3 innings in May. And if you're wondering why this line is so low, Yankees starters have allowed one earned run in 33 innings over the last five games, with all of them recording at least 18 outs.

Best odds: -135 via bet365

Pete Alonso Over 1.5 total bases ⭐⭐⭐⭐

DraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMCaesarsbet365
Odds+140+110+140+136+150

Game info: New York Mets vs. Miami Marlins | Moneyline: Mets (-130 via Betway) | Total: 7.5 via Betway | Start time: 4:10 p.m. ET

New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso is slogging through a disappointing season by his standards, entering Friday batting just .226 and ranking 60th in OPS (.765). However, he's notched at least one hit in seven of the last nine games, with four multi-hit outings during that span. And he's raised his slugging percentage nearly 50 points over the previous 10 days after seven doubles and two home runs during that stretch.

Better yet, he now faces a pitcher Alonso has enjoy success against in the past.

Alonso is 6-for-15 with two home runs and a 1.271 OPS against Miami Marlins southpaw Braxton Garrett. His .805 OPS is the second-highest of any Mets players against left-handed hurlers in 2024 (minimum 30 at-bats). Garrett should oblige while aiding Alonso’s power numbers in his second start of the season. He's been allowing hard-hit balls 46.2% of the time and barrels on 7.7% of all balls in play in his debut.

Best odds: +150 via bet365

Alec Bohm Over 0.5 RBIs ⭐⭐⭐

DraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMCaesarsbet365
Odds+165+140N/A+146+170

Game info: Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies | Moneyline: Phillies (-180 via Betway) | Total: 7.5 via Betway | Start time: 6:05 p.m. ET

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm’s .331 batting average is the highest of all Phillies not currently on the IL, and his team-leading 37 RBIs are five more than the next closest teammate.

Bohm is one of two players with 30-plus RBIs who's tallied four or fewer home runs. But he's still managed to drive in at least one run in four of the previous five games, all while hitting in the middle of the batting order amid one of MLB's most potent offenses.

The infidler has slashed .300/.364/.600 in 10 career at-bats against the Washington Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore. The hurler has had difficulty with Philadelphia while allowing a .300/.341/.543 slash line in 80 combined at-bats against current Phillies hitters. Seventeen of Bohm’s 37 RBIs have come against left-handed pitching in 2024, despite 57 fewer at-bats than he's logged against righties, which makes this a confident three-star play.

Best odds: +170 via bet365

Zac Gallen to record a win ⭐⭐⭐

DraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMCaesarsbet365
Odds+170N/AN/A+152+165

Game info: Detroit Tigers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks | Moneyline: Diamondbacks (-150 via Betway) | Total: 7.5 via Betway | Start time: 8:10 p.m. ET

Zac Gallen makes his first start at home since April 14 after four consecutive road appearances. If this outing goes anything like his first three home starts, the Arizona Diamondbacks should be in for a significant victory.

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The Diamondbacks have outscored their opponents 23-1 in Gallen’s three home starts, and one of those outings was against the club with the American League's best winning percentage (the Yankees).

He's pitched to a 0.53 ERA at home in 2024 with an OBA of .172. The Diamondbacks should provide him with an early lead when facing Detroit Tigers righty Jack Flaherty, whose expected batting average that ranks in the 54th percentile has burned him, despite also being on pace to finish with by far the best K:BB ratio of his career.

Best odds: +170 via DraftKings

MLB player props made Saturday at 7:11 a.m. ET.

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Written By:
Mike Spector
Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." When making wagers, Mike always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”