Best MLB Player Props 8/9: Win the Day With Vlad Guerrero Jr., Robbie Ray

· Aug 09 - 6 minutes read

The MLB schedule returns in a big way to begin the weekend, offering many enticing betting choices for Friday night, promising an evening filled with excitement and potential wins.
MLB player props are an exhilarating way to join the action. We’re focusing on red-hot Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the Padres surging, and Robbie Ray tonight.
Check out today’s MLB odds, pitchers, and best player prop bets.

As we gear up for another thrilling schedule of MLB games today, kicking off an action-packed weekend, I’m thrilled to share my consistently profitable picks. I’m determined to bring you more winners with a 131-106 record following a 1-2 loss on Thursday night; I’m aiming for a huge Friday with our best MLB bets today.

Best MLB Player Props 8/9: Win the Day With Vlad Guerrero Jr., Robbie Ray — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays/Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images/AFP

After Thursday’s small schedule of games, we’re supplied with an outstanding Friday night schedule to kick off our weekend. With many options for MLB player props today, I’ve meticulously and comprehensively narrowed down the best bets for you, ensuring you’re well-informed and prepared for the games.

3 Best MLB Player Props Friday 8/9

1. Blue Jays 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 1½ Total Bases (-114)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a single shy of the cycle 😳 pic.twitter.com/o0IjKfqZPD

— MLB (@MLB) August 9, 2024

Our first MLB bet tonight is a no-brainer. We rode the Vladdy train last night, and he delivered a sweat-free win in the first inning, mashing a double to right-center. He’s the hottest hitter in the league, and I will confidently back Vladimir Guerrero Jr. again to go over 1½ total bases tonight against the Athletics at home.

It’s wild what a haircut can do! Since June 19, he has been the hottest hitter in the league! First in batting average (.400) and wRC+ (251) ahead of Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr.!

Guerrero will face Mitch Spence in the series opener with Oakland at Rogers Center. He is 1 for 3 in his career against the 26-year-old right-hander. He has been hitting the cover off the ball, leading the league with a .500 batting average since the break! He’s on another planet.

He has at least 2 total bases in 14 of 19 games since the break! As long as they don’t intentionally walk Guerrero Jr., I expect him to do damage. Spence throws a cutter over 40% of the time, and Vlad owns a .448 batting average and 75% hard hit % against cutters this season.

Players with 35+ hits, 10+ doubles, 10+ homers & 10+ walks over a 20-game span in MLB’s modern era:

Babe Ruth, Yankees (1922)
Rogers Hornsby, Braves (1928)
Lou Gehrig, Yankees (1936)
Joe DiMaggio, Yankees (1937)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., @BlueJays (2024) pic.twitter.com/VQPzgi8b6D

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 9, 2024

2. Marlins SP Edward Cabrera Over 2½ Earned Runs (+136)

With our next MLB pick, I will trust the Padres lineup to produce. You may not have noticed, but San Diego is just 2.5 games back in the NL West behind the Dodgers! Since the break, the Padres are fourth in wRC+ (131) and have the second-highest batting average (.286) in baseball. Xander Bogaerts has been red-hot since his return from the IL, batting .410 (3rd-highest in MLB).

The @Padres pull off a 9th-inning comeback for the 2nd straight game!

They’ve won 5 straight and 14 of their last 16 games. pic.twitter.com/G7D0y0JZXM

— MLB (@MLB) August 8, 2024

On Friday night, Miami will send Edward Cabrera to the bump in their series opener against San Diego. Cabrera returned from the IL on July 7 after a shoulder impingement in early May. He has shown flashes but has allowed at least three earned runs in 6 of 11 starts this season. Cabrera was strong against the Braves in his previous outing, tossing 5 shutout innings. However, Atlanta’s offense has been abysmal, unlike the Padres. He’s had the benefit of facing struggling Rays and Braves lineups in his last two outings.

Cabrera is due for regression. His xERA is in the 26th percentile, at 4.59. The young righty leans on his changeup, and the veteran Padres lineup will be prepared for this. San Diego can have seven bats in tonight’s lineup hitting over .300 against changeups this season (Jurickson Profar .380), (Luiz Arraez .333), (Jackson Merrill .325), (Donovan Solano .308), (David Peralta .304), (Jake Cronenworth .300), and (Manny Machado .300). Bank on the Padres bats to put up runs early.

3. Giants SP Robbie Ray Over 6½ Strikeouts (+112)

This MLB prediction shouldn’t be a shock to anyone. Robbie Ray has been tremendous in two of his three starts since returning from the IL and Tommy John surgery. He gets a good spot on Friday night in the Giants series opener against the Tigers. Since the break, Detroit is batting just .213 and has a 24.3% K%.

On July 24, the veteran left-hander made his season debut against the Dodgers, throwing 86 pitches. He was lights out, throwing 5 shutout innings, and finished with 8 Ks!

Five no-hit innings for Robbie Ray in his @SFGiants debut! pic.twitter.com/yOCMsaxnVU

— MLB (@MLB) July 25, 2024

He followed it up with a poor outing against Oakland and bounced back in his most recent against the Reds, throwing 5 innings and striking out 9! Typically, pitchers returning from Tommy John struggle with command, but their velocity returns. This has been the case with Ray.

Ray is in his 11th big league season and has ranked above the 85th percentile in K% in nearly every season. I expect Ray to fan at least seven Tigers. Detroit has the 8th-highest strikeout rate this season and the fourth-lowest batting average in the league (.231). All three Seattle starting pitchers finished with at least 7 strikeouts against the Tigers over their last three games (Luis Castillo 9), (George Kirby 7), (Bryan Woo 7). The Giants are just 3 games back in the Wild Card. If Ray can continue to return to form, San Francisco is a good MLB bet to claim a spot with a rotation headed by Blake Snell, Logan Webb, and Ray!

Bet Today’s MLB Player Prop at BetUS