Brad Evans' MLB bet of the day (April 20)

Always itching for action, Brad Evans scours the ‘books for a seducing wager whether NFL, NBA, MLB, Chinese ping pong, whatever. Come back daily to see where he’s blowing his bankroll. Fade or follow? That, of course, is entirely up to you.

MLB Prop Bet of the Day

Taijuan Walker OVER 4.5 strikeouts at the Chicago Cubs (-137, William Hill)

This baseball season, there might not be enough barley pops in Wrigleyville to squelch the pain of the product on the field. Outside of one 13-run outburst against Atlanta, the Cubs have woefully underwhelmed offensively. Currently No. 23 in total OPS and sporting an appalling .192 BA as a team through 15 games, they’re a collection of underachieving Mario Mendozas. Despite his loosey-goosey control, Walker, who has whiffed 12 batters in 10.1 IP, has to be salivating at the matchup. Evidenced by their high chase and K rates (28.2%, the third highest in MLB), the Cubs simply can’t resist hard-diving pitches. Walker, who boasts a mid-90s fastball, plus slider and solid splitter, owns the arsenal to exploit Chicago’s continued fallibility. With an assist from Mother Nature — game-time temps are forecasted to hover around the freezing mark — Walker unleashes a blowtorch.

Units risked: 1.37
Column record: 3-4 (-1.23 units)