Underdog Fantasy MLB Picks July 6: Tanner Bibee Racks Up Strikeouts for Cleveland Guardians
Thursday brings us an all-day slate of Major League Baseball with plenty of MLB player props and MLB Underdog picks to dive into. As you enjoy some afternoon baseball, let's focus on the top MLB props and MLB bets for tonight's games. Our top MLB picks on Underdog Fantasy feature Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee and Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds. Plus, we throw in a bonus pick for Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber. Check out these free MLB player props and MLB daily picks on Underdog Fantasy for “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, July 6th.
MLB Underdog Fantasy Top Picks July 6
Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians – OVER 6.5 Strikeouts
We all know the Kansas City Royals have a terrible offense, so let’s pick on them tonight with Tanner Bibee. The rookie right-hander gets a favorable matchup at home here and should rack up strikeouts. The Royals have struggled against right-handed pitching all season with a .286 wOBA (2nd-worst in MLB), .227 BA (2nd-worst), 24.7% strikeout rate (4th-worst), and just a 6.9% walk rate (3rd-worst). Over the past two weeks, the KC offense has the league’s highest K rate vs righties at 27.0% with a low 5.7% walk rate as well. As for Bibee, this 6.5 strikeout line is a bit high but he can still hit the over. The Cleveland Guardians’ righty has 7+ Ks in four of six home starts this season while sporting a strong 2.38 ERA at home. Bibee has also notched 6+ strikeouts in five of his last seven starts, so it’s a good sign he’s hovering right around this K prop.
Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates – OVER 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBI
Last night in his fourth game back from the Injured List, Bryan Reynolds hit a home run for the first time since mid-June. It was great to see for any Pittsburgh Pirates fan or those who roster Reynolds in fantasy baseball. He actually almost homered again later in the game but missed the foul pole by inches. After going 0-fer in his first two games back, Reynolds has now put together two solid nights at the plate (2-for-5 with an RBI on Tuesday). Let’s bank on the switch-hitting outfielder to keep it going. He’ll face Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Julio Urias, who looked shaky in his own return from the IL last time out with five runs allowed over three innings to the Royals. Yikes! Maybe he’ll be better tonight at home, but there should be some hits and runs out there for the Pirates. Plus, Reynolds is 5-for-14 (.357 BA) with a home run in his career vs Urias. It’s also encouraging to see Reynolds hitting .305 with a .896 OPS on the road this year compared to a .234 BA and .707 OPS at home.
Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies – OVER 1.5 Batter Strikeouts
You never want to root against a hitter, especially when it’s a slugger like Kyle Schwarber. However, this prop is too juicy to ignore based on some glaring trends. While Schwarber does have the potential to go deep in any at-bat, and his 22 home runs are evidence of that, the guy is hitting just .185 this season. The Philadelphia Phillies outfielder has already struck out 110 times over 85 games. Schwarber is essentially boom or bust with a walk or two thrown in when he’s not hitting homers or striking out. One factor to note is his K struggles on the road this year. Schwarber has 65 strikeouts in 47 road games for a 1.4 K/game average. Compare that to his 45 K’s in 36 home games (1.2 average). In this current road series against the Tampa Bay Rays, he struck out twice in both of the last two games. Schwarber has also struck out multiple times in seven of his past 12 road games. The Rays will go with righty Shawn Armstrong as the opener today and then a bullpen game behind him. Schwarber won’t benefit from likely seeing a different every at-bat.
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Player News
J.P. Crawford singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 11th as the Mariners edged the Yankees 2-1 on Tuesday.
Crawford was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts before his liner to left barely dropped into fair territory and plated the automatic runner in the 11th. It gave him his first RBI in nine games. He’s currently hitting .271/.378/.364 for the season.
Bryan Woo blanked the Yankees for 6 1/3 innings in a no-decision Tuesday.
Woo has come up big for the Mariners in pitching at least six innings every time out this season and going 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA. The 1-0 lead he left with tonight didn’t hold up, but the Mariners did prevail in extra innings to move to 6-2 in Woo’s starts. He’ll face the White Sox next time out.
Andrés Muñoz was charged with a blown save after giving up an unearned run in the ninth Tuesday against the Yankees.
Muñoz created his own trouble by hitting Paul Goldschmidt to start the ninth, but that was the only mistake he made as a pair of grounders went on to score pinch-runner Pablo Reyes. Muñoz still hasn’t given up an earned run this season.
Max Fried allowed one run over five innings before being lifted against the Mariners on Tuesday.
Fried needed 91 pitches to get his 15 outs, so he didn’t come back out for the sixth. Still, he was effective in allowing four hits and striking out five. He’ll take a 1.11 ERA into his next start, which will likely come Sunday against the Mets.
Devin Williams pitched a perfect 10th in a tie game Tuesday against the Mariners.
Williams followed Luke Weaver, who worked flawless eighth and ninth innings before the game went to extras. It’s Williams’ third straight scoreless appearance and sixth in seven games since he was pulled from the closer’s role. Weaver hasn’t had any issues, either, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Williams get a save chance sometime soon.
Robbie Ray allowed three runs over six innings and struck out nine in the Giants’ 10-6 win over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
Ray joined Max Fried as the only pitchers off to 6-0 starts thus far this season, and the Giants have gone 9-0 in his outings. His peripherals are significantly worse than his 3.04 ERA, but he’s definitely performed better in his last four starts than he did in his first five, when he seemed more lucky than good. He’ll pitch at home against the Royals next time out.