Gross Bombs: NFL Props for Week 16
Josh Gross
Welcome back to another Sunday edition of MLB Best Bets presented by FTN Network! We got in the win column thanks to Marcell Ozuna last week, so let’s build off that momentum!
Today we will focus on some afternoon baseball with the Oakland Athletics and Miami Marlins closing out a three-game set in LoanDepot Park.
Oakland Athletics at Miami Marlins
The Bay Area native Paul Blackburn will take the mound for Oakland, making only his second second start of the year after a stint on the IL. Blackburn was impressive in his season debut, throwing four innings of one-run ball and racking up six strikeouts against a scorching Atlanta Braves lineup.
Blackburn will look to build off that against a Miami lineup that ranks in the bottom 6 in both wRC+ and OBP versus right-handed pitching.
Best Bet
Paul Blackburn o3.5 Strikeouts (-104)
The 29-year-old dazzled on the road for Oakland last season, going 6-1 with a 2.12 ERA. Blackburn picked up at least four strikeouts in eight of his 12 road starts last season. The Marlins come in with a 22% K rate versus RHP, and there are six high-strikeout targets (21% or higher) in the projected Miami lineup for Blackburn to work with. Day baseball has always been a lean to pitchers’ strikeout success, so let’s hope that continues for today. Best of Luck!
