Welcome to another full Friday night slate of Major League Baseball! There are 15 games on the MLB schedule tonight with plenty of options for our MLB Underdog picks and MLB player props. Our top MLB picks on Underdog Fantasy feature Detroit Tigers SP Matthew Boyd and Toronto Blue Jays SP Yusei Kikuchi both in tougher matchups. 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 19th.

 

MLB Underdog Fantasy Top Picks May 19

Yusei Kikuchi, Toronto Blue Jays – UNDER 5.5 Strikeouts & UNDER 90.5 Pitch Count

The Baltimore Orioles have been one of the tougher matchups against left-handed pitching this season, which is why we’re fading Yusei Kikuchi tonight. The O’s offense boasts a strong .349 wOBA (5th-best in MLB), a low 20.2% strikeout rate (7th), and a 10.7% walk rate (3rd) against lefties this year. Since the start of May, the Baltimore offense has maintained strong splits vs. southpaws with a .359 wOBA, 21.6% K rate, and 12.0% walk rate. As a result, left-handed starters facing the Orioles regularly have lower strikeout numbers, struggle to limit the damage, and tend to give way to the bullpen earlier than normal. As for Kikuchi, he’s been under 5.5 strikeouts in half of his starts this season (4-for-8), including two of the last three. The Toronto Blue Jays lefty has been under 90.5 pitches in three of the past five starts. He has a career-low 22.9% K rate this year and his 5.46 FIP and 5.01 xERA suggest some shaky outings could be coming. Kikuchi also has a career 6.37 ERA against the Orioles. 

Matthew Boyd, Detroit Tigers – UNDER 4.5 Strikeouts & OVER 1.5 Walks Allowed

Speaking of tough matchups for left-handed pitchers, the Washington Nationals should make Matthew Boyd work for it tonight. The Nats have a league-low 16.8% strikeout rate against left-handers this season. The Washington offense also boasts a .344 wOBA (6th-best in MLB) and .297 BA (3rd) vs. lefties. Over the past two weeks, the Nationals lineup has a .380 wOBA and a higher 10.8% walk rate against southpaws. Meanwhile, Boyd comes in limping after getting rocked for six runs in less than two innings in his last start. The Detroit Tigers starter has a 6.47 ERA over seven starts with an ugly 29:15 K:BB rate across 32 innings pitched. He’s been under 4.5 strikeouts in five of seven outings and over 1.5 walks in four of seven. Combine those trends with the feisty Nationals offense and we should Boyd go under his Ks and over his walks prop.

 

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