The Detroit Tigers have been a roll of late, winning six of their last seven games, including game one in Cleveland last night. However, with Michael Lorenzen on the bump, the Tigers are +180 on the moneyline tonight. The Guardians have scored three runs or fewer in six of seven games this month. One player who will look to get their offense going is Steven Kwan.
Speaking of Detroit, Max Scherzer made his first start since returning from suspension back in his old stomping grounds in at Comerica Park. It did not go well as he allowed six runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings. Scherzer will look to rebound at Great American Ball Park, which may not be easy. He may give up a few walks in the process.
In Kansas City, the Royals had a tough assignment last night going against Dylan Cease. While Cease went over his strikeout prop with six, he was also tagged for seven runs en route to a 12-4 Royals victory. Salvador Perez contributed last night with a RBI and two runs scored. He will look to stay hot tonight against Lucas Giolito.
MLB Player Props For Tuesday, May 9
Steven Kwan Over Hits + Runs + Runs Batted In (-145)
| Tigers vs. Guardians | |
| First Pitch | 6:10 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | DraftKings |
If you have watched the Cleveland Guardians over the last two years, you will notice that Steven Kwan is frequently on base. Last year, he had a .373 on-base percentage and this season he is at.360, which is 23rd in the American League. He frequently gets on-base via hits. Kwan has recorded a hit in eight of his last 10 games with four multi-hit games in that span.
Over that same span, Kwan has cleared this line in each of his last 10 games. While not the robust 80% over that stretch, he has still had this line in 60% of games this season. Kwan has not faced Tigers starter Michael Lorenzen in his career, but a pair of his teammates have. Jose Ramirez is 2-for-6 with a home run and two runs batted in against Lorenzen while Josh Bell is 9-for-23 with two home runs and six runs batted in against him.
Kwan is Cleveland's everyday leadoff hitter while Ramirez usually bats third. Josh Bell usually bats either fourth or fifth, but he was in the cleanup spot last night. If Kwan gets a hit, Ramirez or Bell will have a good chance to knock him in against Lorenzen.
Kwan has scored a run in seven of his last 10 games and if he scores tonight, he will likely cash this prop.
Pick: Steven Kwan Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + Runs Batted In
Max Scherzer Over 1.5 Walks (+110)
Editor's note: Max Scherzer was scratched from Tuesday's start. David Peterson will start in his place.
| Mets vs. Reds | |
| First Pitch | 6:40 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | DraftKings |
Max Scherzer walked at least two batters in each of his first four starts this season. Coincidentally, his worst start of the season is the only start where he did not walk two. However, giving up eight hits in less than four innings had something to do with it. There are a few reasons why I think he walks a couple of batters tonight.
Scherzer has not pitched well this season as he has a 5.56 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. He has surrendered 10 walks in just 22 1/3 innings this season. His best start came against the Dodgers when worked three scoreless innings before being ejected.
If Scherzer continues to struggle, it is likely that he walks two batters in the process. If he walks a batter in the first inning while he is settling in, he'll only need one more over the next few innings.
The Reds are 11th in the majors in walk percentage at 9.4% of their plate appearances. They are also averaging a respectable 4.2 runs per game.
However, Scherzer is a future Hall-of-Famer for a reason. It would not be a surprise if he dominated the Reds tonight. Last July, he struck out 11 Reds and allowed just two hits in six innings at Great American Ballpark.
If Scherzer does turn in a strong outing, he will likely go six or seven innings and face more than 20 batters. We will just need him to walk two of them.
Pick: Max Scherzer Over 1.5 Walks
Salvador Perez Over 1.5 Total Bases (+115)
| White Sox vs. Royals | |
| First Pitch | 7:40 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | DraftKings |
After a slow start to the season, Salvador Perez has started to perk up over the last few weeks. Over his past 15 games, he is hitting .364 with five home runs, 13 runs batted in, and a 1.112 OPS. He enters play tonight on a five-game hitting streak and he has hit safely in 10 of his 11 games.
Despite being a right-handed hitter, Perez's isolated power (.229) and batting average (.292) are both higher against right-handed pitchers. One right-hander that Perez has had a lot of success is Lucas Giolito. Against Giolito, Perez is 13-for-31 (.419) with three doubles, four home runs, 10 runs batted in and a 1.323 OPS.
Perez has seen a lot of Giolito in their battles in the AL Central over the last several years. Now, he gets Giolito while he and his Royals are on a hot streak. The Royals have scored scored five runs or more in six of their last seven games.
Giolito has been solid this season with a 3.67 ERA and is coming off a strong outing against Minnesota. However, the White Sox have a 5.70 team ERA.
If Perez does not get to Giolito, he will likely get one or two chances against the struggling White Sox bullpen.
Pick: Salvador Perez Over 1.5 Total Bases
