Best MLB Bets Today – Free (Friday 5/24)

We’ll head to the Oakland Coliseum Friday, as the Houston Astros and the Oakland Athletics face off in the first of a three-game weekend series. The Astros will aim to replicate their success from two weeks ago when they swept the A’s in a four-game series at home. 

Houston Astros @ Oakland Athletics

It’s been an unexpected start to the season, with the Athletics and Astros surprisingly only separated by one game in the win column. The Astros, a team with a strong winning culture, had a rough patch, but there’s still plenty of baseball to be played. One of the few bright spots for Houston this season has been 27-year-old left fielder Kyle Tucker. 

Tucker has been brilliant this season. He leads the majors with 17 home runs and has posted a .288 AVG, 1.060 OPS and 36 RBIs (ninth most). Friday, he gets a great matchup against veteran right-hander Ross Stripling. Stripling has struggled again to begin the year, entering with a 1-9 record with a 5.19 ERA. 

Tucker comes in red-hot over his last seven games, posting a .348 AVG, 8 hits and 4 homers. He has been electric:

Kyle Tucker’s Recent Production:

• 1 HR in six of last seven road games 
• 2+ total bases in seven of last 10 games 
• 1 hit in 11 of last 15 games

This also appears to be a particularly good matchup for him:

Kyle Tucker vs. Ross Stripling’s Top 4 Pitches:

• 4SFB — .353 AVG, 5 HR, 10 Hits
• CH — .600 AVG, 1 HR, 6 Hits
• SL — .429 AVG, 2 HR, 6 Hits
• SNK — .273 AVG, 3 HR, 6 Hits

Friday presents a great spot for “King Tuck” to keep up his hot hitting on the road.

Best Bet

Kyle Tucker over 1.5 total bases (-115, DraftKings Sportsbook), 1 Unit
Ladder Play: Kyle Tucker 4+ Total Bases (+290, FanDuel Sportsbook), 0.50 Unit