This article is part of our PrizePicks MLB series.
With only one day game Monday, we have a bevy of evening games to enjoy. We'll see the beginning of some exciting series, including when the Cardinals host the Diamondbacks. Let's dig into the options on PrizePicks and highlight four that stand out amongst the crowd.
Hunter Greene, CIN vs. PHI: Less Than 17.5 Outs Recorded
Greene normally racks up strikeouts in bunches. He had a 30.5 percent strikeout rate last season and he has a 32.6 percent strikeout rate through his first four starts this year. The downside is, he also has some control issues. He had a 1.42 WHIP last season, which can partially be attributed to his 9.6 percent walk rate. This season, he has a 9.8 percent walk rate.
Greene has pitched exactly six innings in two of his four starts this year. In the other two, he didn't even make it through five innings. Another noteworthy stat with Greene is that he has given up 1.6 HR/9 for his career. The Phillies are tied for the fifth-most home runs in baseball. This is a difficult matchup for Greene, so don't expect him to last six innings.
Randy Arozarena, TB vs. DET: Less Than 6.5 Hitter Fantasy Score
Arozarena is off to a dreadful start, hitting .157 with a .221 wOBA. His strikeout rate has jumped up to 28.6 percent, which is nearly five percentage points higher than last season. He has also provided very little power, hitting two home runs on his way to a .084 ISO.
With Tarik Skubal scheduled to start for the Tigers, this is not a favorable matchup for Arozarena to break out of his slump. Skubal has a 0.80 WHIP and has struck out 26 batters across 23.2 innings. Look for Arozarena to have another quiet night at the plate.
Yusei Kikuchi, TOR vs. Brady Singer, KC: Less Than 0.5 First Inning Runs Allowed
Neither the Blue Jays nor the Royals have the most dangerous lineups. The Blue Jays have scored the 10th-fewest runs in baseball. The Royals have the 11th-worst OBP. The Royals had some big scoring performances out of the gate, but they have scored four or fewer runs in five of their last seven games.
Monday's game brings a good pitching matchup that might make runs difficult to come by. Kikuchi has a 1.15 WHIP this season and has allowed one or no runs in each of his last three starts. Singer has a 0.86 WHIP and has not given up more than two runs in any of his four starts.
Martin Maldonado, CWS at MIN: Less Than 0.5 Hits + Runs + RBI
It's not often that you find a combined hits, runs and RBI option set this low. However, this is where it deserves to be set for Maldonado. He has been awful, hitting 2-for-38 so far this season. He also has just two walks, to go along with 14 strikeouts.
Maldonado is known for his defense behind the plate. His hitting struggles are nothing new, given that he batted .191 or lower in each of the last three seasons. Facing Chris Paddack is not an overwhelming task, but with how bad Maldonado has been, less than is still the way to go here.
