Underdog Fantasy MLB Picks August 26: Kyle Bradish Racks up Strikeouts against Colorado Rockies
I don’t know about you, but we are entering into a great time to be a sports fan. We have college football on the screens today, along with Major League Baseball, and Week 1 of the NFL season is right around the corner. Before diverting your attention to your best college football bets of the day, let’s dive into some MLB player props over at Underdog Fantasy. My best bets of the day on Underdog Fantasy feature Bobby Witt Jr. against the Seattle Mariners, Julio Urias against the Boston Red Sox, and Kyle Bradish taking on the Colorado Rockies. Of course, don't forget to check out the latest MLB weather report and the confirmed MLB lineups when placing those MLB betting picks. Furthermore, our MLB daily projections and MLB Batter vs Pitcher page will help uncover the best matchups for MLB player props and your MLB DFS lineups. Let's dive into the top MLB player picks on Underdog Fantasy for Saturday, August 26th.
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals - HIGHER than 7.5 Fantasy Points
First and foremost, Witt is 5-for-6 in his home run against Logan Gilbert for his career, and this year, he’s a perfect 3-for-3 against him this season. Witt is hitting .274 with an .816 OPS against right-handed pitching, and overall for the month of August, he’s slashing .359/.410/.707 with eight home runs and eight stolen bases. He’s been a fantasy points machine of late, and this line of 7.5 is simply too low, even in a tougher matchup against Gilbert. The Seattle right-hander has been knocked around a bit since the All-Star break, posting a 4.08 ERA and 45 hits allowed over 39.2 IP, but we are taking this prop today on the back of Witt Jr. and his ability to rack up fantasy points in bunches. With his propensity to run, perhaps a walk or a hit, with a stolen base and a run scored, and guess what, WE CASHIN’ BABY!
Julio Urias, Los Angeles Dodgers - HIGHER than 16.5 Pitching Outs
Urias’ 6.80 ERA on the road is a far, far cry from his 2.30 ERA at home, but across his nine road starts this year, he’s surpassed this line in five of them, including doing so in two of his last three road starts. He’s completed six innings in four of his last five starts, and Boston’s inability to draw a walk this month against August (5.2% BB%) should help keep the pitch count down. Boston has been striking out a lot against lefties, but Urias has never been a monster strikeout guy, so I wouldn’t be concerned with that driving up his pitch count. Ever since allowing eight earned runs to the Orioles on July 19, Urias has posted a 2.03 ERA, 3.14 FIP, and 0.90 WHIP.
Kyle Bradish, Baltimore Orioles - HIGHER than 6.5 Strikeouts
I would have loved to get this at six, but at 6.5, there’s enough wiggle room to win here. Bradish has at least seven strikeouts in three of his last four starts, posting a 13.6 percent SwStr%. Bradish has been excellent at home this year, posting a 2.18 ERA, and while he only has a 21.3 percent strikeout rate at home this year, he’s posted at least seven strikeouts in three of his last four home outings. So, why do we like this play so much today? The answer is that he’s facing the Colorado Rockies, a team that has the highest strikeout rate in Major League Baseball this month against right-handed pitching. For the 2023 season as a whole, they have the fourth-highest strikeout rate against right-handed pitching, and the worst strikeout rate when on the road. Bradish could be in line for a very big day in the strikeout department.
Other MLB Player Props to Consider:
- Gunnar Henderson HIGHER than 1.5 Total Bases
- Hunter Brown HIGHER than 6.0 Strikeouts
Related MLB Links:
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Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.