After looking at the board of MLB player props over at Underdog Fantasy today, I found myself liking a lot of players to go under their props. I know betting the under isn’t as fun as betting overs, but hey, we take the value where it lies and trust the numbers! My best bets of the day on Underdog Fantasy feature Tarik Skubal looking to continue his home dominance against the Chicago Cubs this afternoon, and Andrew Abbott facing off against Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels in the first game of a doubleheader. Of the games above, the only real notable weather impact should come in the Tigers game, but 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 Wednesday, August 23rd.

 

Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers - LOWER than 2.0 Earned Runs Allowed

Skubal has a 3.76 ERA on the season, but that 1.99 FIP and 2.81 xFIP are really, really nice. However, the big thing I’m looking at today are some very notable splits. In four home starts this season, covering 18.1 IP, he’s allowed zero point zero earned runs, posting a 26:3 K/BB ratio over that body of work. Here in the month of August, the Cubs are hardly walking against left-handed pitching (5.8%), while striking out at the fifth-highest clip and hitting a measly .221. Winds should be blowing in during the game, which certainly helps, and overall for his young career, he has a 3.23 ERA, 3.46 FIP, and 1.12 WHIP when pitching at home. Let’s go for another dominant outing at home for the young Detroit southpaw, as he looks to continue his spotless ERA in his home park.

Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds - LOWER than 2.0 Walks Allowed

There’s some volatility here, sure, but since he walked five batters in his start on August 5th, he hasn’t walked a single batter over his last two starts (@PIT, vs. CLE). Over his last nine starts, he’s gone under this line five times, pushed twice, and surpassed it twice. The key thing to note here is tonight’s matchup, which comes against a Los Angeles Angels lineup that has been abysmal against left-handed pitching of late. In the month of August, the Angels have a league-worst walk rate, coming in at 2.6 percent, while also hitting just .202 with a .224 wOBA and 38 wRC+! Since the All-Star Break, the Angels have just a 6.3 percent walk rate, which is the seventh-lowest in Major League Baseball! I don’t envision him handing out many free passes tonight, as he should challenge this Angels lineup head on by pumping the strike zone. I also am intrigued by his strikeout prop as well, for what it’s worth, as the Angels also hold the third-worst strikeout rate in the month of August against left-handed pitching.

 

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