Underdog Fantasy MLB Picks May 5: Byron Buxton and Freddie Freeman Among Top Plays on Friday

Welcome to another full slate of Major League Baseball games on Friday as we dive into MLB Underdog picks. We have plenty of MLB player props and MLB picks to choose from today with a packed evening of daily fantasy baseball. Our top MLB daily picks on Underdog Fantasy for Friday night include Minnesota Twins OF Byron Buxton and Los Angeles Dodgers 1B Freddie Freeman as they look to stay hot at the plate. Plus, we're fading Washington Nationals SP Josiah Gray against the Arizona Diamondbacks. 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. Now, let's dive into the top MLB player picks on Underdog Fantasy for Friday, May 5th.
MLB Underdog Fantasy Top Picks May 5
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins – OVER 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBI
If you’ve played fantasy baseball or MLB DFS over the years, you know Byron Buxton is one of those guys who’s worth riding on his hot streaks until he inevitably gets hurt or cools down. Well, right now, Buxton is clicking at the plate with a .320 batting average (8-for-25) and .469 OBP over the past seven games and a 1.088 OPS over the past 15 games. The Minnesota Twins outfielder is clearly feeling comfortable and confident with two stolen bases and a game-tying, extra-inning homer in the last series vs. the White Sox. Tonight, Buxton will face Cleveland Guardians righty Peyton Battenfield, who is sporting a 4.67 ERA, 5.90 FIP, and 7.43 xERA so far this year. Meanwhile, Buxton is hitting .291 with a 1.014 OPS against right-handers this season. He has gone over 1.5 combined hits+runs+RBI in seven of the last eight games coming into tonight.
Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers – OVER 0.5 Singles
Freddie Freeman is swinging a scorching hot bat lately with a .379 BA over the past seven games and hits in eight of the last 10. The Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman is specifically crushing right-handed pitching this season with a .341 BA and .423 OBP, continuing a favorable split that’s reigned true throughout his career. Tonight, he’ll face San Diego Padres righty Yu Darvish. Over their careers, Freeman is hitting .320 (8-for-25) off of Darvish as the sample size is just big enough to consider for player props. Plus, Freeman has solid career numbers in the pitcher-friendly Petco Park, hitting .284 in 36 games in San Diego. Banking on a singles prop is always risky, but 25 of Freeman’s 39 hits this season have been single-baggers (64%).
Josiah Gray, Washington Nationals – UNDER 4.5 Strikeouts
Although this is already a low strikeout number, we’re banking on Josiah Gray having a tough time in the K department tonight. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Gray’s opponent, boast the MLB’s second-lowest strikeout rate against right-handed pitching this season at 19.3%. Over the past week, the D-backs have been even better against righties with an 18.5% K rate to go along with a .364 wOBA (5th-best in MLB), .303 BA (2nd), and 9.9% walk rate (7th). This offense is crushing right-handers lately and returns home after a recent road trip. As for Gray, he’s been under 4.5 strikeouts in half of his starts this season (3 of 6). The Washington Nationals righty has a solid 2.67 ERA right now, but some negative regression could be coming as his higher 4.40 FIP and unsustainable 88.8% left-on-base rate indicate.
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Player News
Chris Martin was removed from Tuesday’s relief appearance against the Rockies with right elbow tightness.
Martin faced exactly one batter in the ninth inning of a save opportunity before leaving the contest with a trainer. His departure comes roughly 24 hours after Rangers closer Luke Jackson was hit by a line drive on the right hand, which left him unavailable for this contest. Fortunately, veteran Shawn Armstrong was able to finish off the frame and pick up the save. There should be an update on his status shortly. It’s probably going to be Armstrong, Robert Garcia or Jacob Webb handling the next save situation for Texas.
Justin Turner played the role of hero for the Cubs on Tuesday night, smacking a walk-off two-run double off of Jesús Tinoco in the home half of the ninth inning.
The Cubs entered the ninth inning trailing 4-2, but they got to work as Carson Kelly reached on an error, Dansby Swanson walked and Nico Hoerner smacked a one-out RBI single. That’s when Turner did his damage, sending the home faithful at Wrigley Field into a frenzy. The 40-year-old infielder finished the night 1-for-1 plus a walk and is now hitting .169/.292/.186 with zero homers, nine RBI and one stolen base in his first 72 plate appearances on the season.
Pete Crow-Armstrong went 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBI on Tuesday night as the Cubs rallied to dispatch of the Marlins.
The dynamic 23-year-old outfielder crushed a 397-foot (108.1 mph EV) solo shot off of Valente Bellozo in the third inning that tied the score at 1-1. Crow Armstrong then tied it again with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning that made it a 2-2 ballgame. With his two-hit attack, the burgeoning superstar is slashing .267/.307/.545 to go with 11 homers, 30 RBI and 13 stolen bases on the season.
Ben Brown pitched well in a no-decision against the Marlins on Tuesday, surrendering two runs on five hits over his 5 1/3 innings of work.
Brown racked up six strikeouts on the evening and didn’t walk a batter. He served up a solo homer to Connor Norby in the second inning, then kept the Marlins’ offense off the board until Javier Sanoja plated Norby with an RBI ground out in the fifth inning. The 25-year-old right-hander got seven whiffs on 72 pitches on the night, registering a strong CSW of 32 percent. He’ll look to further improve upon his 4.75 ERA and 1.56 WHIP when he does battle against these same Marlins his next time out in Miami on Monday.
Connor Norby went 2-for-4 with a homer, triple and two runs scored on Tuesday evening as the Marlins fell to the Cubs.
Norby led off the fifth inning with a three-bagger off of Ben Brown and ultimately scored on a ground ball off the bat of Javier Sanoja. He then clobbered a 400-foot (104.5 mph EV) solo shot off of Julian Merryweather to start the seventh inning, giving the Marlins a 3-2 advantage. With his two-hit attack, the 24-year-old third baseman is now hitting .269/.313/.436 with a pair of homers and six RBI in his first 83 plate appearances on the season.
Jesús Tinoco suffered an ugly blown save on Tuesday night against the Cubs, giving up three runs (two earned) on two hits and a walk in just 1/3 of an inning.
Oof. Tinoco came on with a 4-2 lead to protect in the ninth and things immediately got interesting as Carson Kelly reached on an error to open the inning. Tinoco then walked Dansby Swanson before getting Moises Ballesteros to ground into a fielder’s choice. Nico Hoerner followed with an RBI single that cut the lead to one and then Justin Turner finished him off with a walk-off two-run double. Tinoco may still be the Marlins’ best option in the ninth inning, but he just lost a lot of the good will that he had built up recently. He owns a miserable 5.68 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and an 8/6 K/BB ratio over 12 2/3 innings on the season to go with three saves.