The Phillies keep homering and they keep winning. After last night's 6-4 victory over the Angels, the Phillies have hit 52 home runs in August, the fourth-most in MLB history. With Tyler Anderson starting for the Angels, they may hit a few more. One of them may come from Trea Turner.
Christian Yelich and Marcus Semien helped their teams pick up road victories as they continue to make a push for the playoffs. Both players are in favorable spots once again.
Everyone seems to be a favorable matchup for Julio Rodriguez right now. Last night, he extended his hitting streak to 13 games, setting a new career-long for him as the Mariners won 7-0 over the Athletics. With Ken Waldichuk starting for the Athletics, expect Rodriguez to stay hot once again.
MLB Player Props For Tuesday, August 29
Trea Turner has long been one of the game's best shortstops. After a dominant performance in the World Baseball Classic, he looked like he might be an MVP candidate this season. However, he got off to a rocky start his first few months in Philadelphia, but Phillies fans showed they have his back.
Heading into a three-game series against the Royals on Aug. 4, Turner had a .235/.290/.368 slash line. He received a standing ovation in all four of his at-bats. Turner went 1-for-4 that night, but the next day he went 2-for-4 with four runs batted in, including a big three-run homer to give the Phillies lead in the sixth inning.
Since Aug. 4, Turner is hitting .345 with seven home runs and 17 runs batted in. Two of his home runs came last night, in addition to three runs and three runs batted in. Turner is 5-for-10 with a double and triple against tonight's starter, Tyler Anderson. Right-handed hitters are hitting .285 with 32 doubles, 11 home runs and an .821 OPS against Anderson.
Turner enters play on a nine-game hitting streak and he has a hit in 20 of his last 22 games. He has hit this line in three of his past four games and he had eight bases last night with the two homers.
Given how Anderson has been giving up extra base hits to right-handed hitters all season, I like Turner's chances of getting two bases tonight.
Pick: Trea Turner Over 1.5 Total Bases (+105 at DraftKings)
Marcus Semien/Christian Yelich One-Hit Parlay (+101 at bet365)
Rangers vs. Mets, 7:10 p.m. ET | Brewers vs. Cubs, 8:05 p.m. ET
The Brewers are in Chicago for a big three-game series against the second-place Cubs. Christian Yelich set the tone with a leadoff home run against Jameson Taillon last night. He finished 2-for-5 on the night with two runs scored and the home run. In the process, he snapped an 0-for-12 slump.
Yelich entered last's night matchup with great numbers against Taillon. He has a tougher assignment tonight, but he also has great numbers against Justin Steele. Yelich is 8-for-19 in his career against Steele. He also has a hit in 16 of his last 23 games.
Semien did not start as fast as Yelich last night. He hit the ball hard and lined out twice before doubling and coming around to score in the sixth inning. He finished 1-for-5 on the night, but he now has a hit in seven of his past eight games.
Semien's splits are roughly the same against left-handed and right-handed pitchers; however, one left-hander he hits very well is Jose Quintana. Semien is 6-for-13 with three doubles and a RBI against Quintana.
Yelich and Semien both typically bat leadoff and often see five plate appearances each night. A pair of 1-for-5 nights would get the job done tonight. We are getting plus odds for this combo on bet365.
Pick: Christian Yelich/Marcus Semien One-Hit Parlay (+105 at bet365)
Last night, we cashed on Bryce Elder recording a win against the Rockies. For my last pick, I considered George Kirby to record a win tonight. The Mariners are -320 on the moneyline and should take care of the A's tonight.
However, Julio Rodriguez will likely have something to do with the Mariners staying in front when Kirby departs. Given how hot he has been this month, I can't fade him.
Last night, Rodriguez went 4-for-5 with a home run and three runs batted in. He made more history by becoming the first player with five four-hit games in a 10-game span since 1900. He has seven two-hit games in that span as well. He also homered for the third consecutive game, giving him 24 and putting him one behind Cal Raleigh for the Mariners' team lead.
Rodriguez is hitting .317 with six doubles, five home runs, and a .847 OPS against left-handed pitching this season. He is 1-for-2 against tonight's starter, Ken Waldichuk, who has allowed 24 doubles, 16 home runs and a .289/.374/.500 slash line to right-handed hitters. Waldichuk also has a 6.05 ERA and has allowed five home runs in his last two starts.
Rodriguez is hitting .400 against Oakland this season, and this month everyone seems like the A's to him. In August, Rodriguez is hitting .429 with 45 hits and just two hitless games. He has hit this line in nine of his last 10 games.
As hot as Rodriguez has been, +125 may be a gift from DraftKings. FanDuel has this line at -150.
Pick: Julio Rodriguez Over 1.5 Over Total Bases (+125 at DraftKings)
