This article is part of our PrizePicks MLB series.
Thursday brings us a shorter slate, but there still a solid number of potentially profitable PrizePicks opportunities. We highlight four of our favorites below:
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Jeremy Pena, HOU vs TB: More Than 0.5 Hits + Runs + RBI
Pena appears firmly on his way to a career-best season, as he'll enter Thursday's matchup against Shane Baz with a .297 average and .808 OPS across his first 55 games. The talented infielder also has a career-low 14.5 percent strikeout rate, which has naturally helped him maintain a safe offensive floor.
Pena's leadoff spot sometimes garners him an extra at-bat as well, and Thursday, that could come in handy against Baz and the Rays bullpen. There's no questioning Baz's raw talent, but inconsistent control/location has helped lead to a 4.94 ERA and 1.39 WHIP, along with a 1.6 HR/9.
Pena has already tasted success against Baz in the past, posting a .500 average with a single, double and a homer over six plate appearances without a strikeout. Pena also has been lethal against right-handers at home, as he went into Wednesday night's action with a .341 average, .876 OPS and .385 wOBA in that split.
Meanwhile, Baz has allowed an .822 OPS and .361 wOBA to right-handed hitters overall, and a 1.7 HR/9 to that handedness on the road. Also, Rays relievers have pitched to a .294 BAA and .406 wOBA against right-handed hitters on the road during May.
MacKenzie Gore, WAS at SEA: More Than 5.5 Strikeouts/ More Than 16.5 pitching outs
Gore is an elite strikeout pitcher facing a team that is among the worst in baseball at making contact against left-handers, making this a very appealing prop.
Gore has the misfortune of toeing the rubber for a losing team, which means that despite a 3.47 ERA and 13.4 K/9, he's also carrying a 2-5 record. The southpaw is averaging 95.5 mph on his fastball, and he has an even more impressive 13.9 K/9 in 31.2 road innings. Gore has fallen short of six strikeouts just once this season — he mustered five against the Blue Jays in his second start — and he's posted at least seven in nine of his other 10 starts.
The Mariners, as already alluded to, have been mostly hopeless against left-handed pitching, as they have a 29.5 percent strikeout rate, .206 average and .278 wOBA in that split at home this season. Current Mariners hitters have struggled against Gore as well, mustering just a .208/.269/.333 slash line in 26 career encounters.
Gore also has at least 18 outs in eight of 11 starts, so the pitching outs prop is also in play for him.
James Wood, WAS at SEA: More Than 0.5 Hits
Wood is up to a .287 average and .949 OPS after going 2-for-4 with a double, solo homer and three total RBI in Wednesday's 9-0 win over Seattle. The prodigious outfielder is on pace for an even better body of work than during his rookie 2024 campaign, and Wednesday's multi-hit effort marked his 39th game with at least one hit in 55 contests overall.
Wood went into Wednesday's game already boasting a .289 average and .953 OPS against right-handed pitching, as well as a 1.029 OPS, .433 wOBA and 180 wRC+ versus that righties on the road. That makes him a great candidate for this prop against inconsistent Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock, who'll head into Wednesday with a 5.95 ERA and 1.65 WHIP, including respective 12.34 and 2.66 figures in those categories over his first 11.2 innings at home.
Hancock's overall body of work isn't as poor as his numbers might imply, because the majority of his trouble stemmed from a pair of T-Mobile Park starts against the Yankees and Tigers, where he allowed 13 earned runs and four homers across only 5.2 innings. But his advanced stats still include a .317 xBA and 5.57 xERA, so banking on Wood getting at least one hit is certainly worthy of consideration.
CJ Abrams, WAS at SEA: More Than 0.5 Runs/ More Than 0.5 Hits
Abrams is another high-upside young piece in the top half of the Nationals lineup that is enjoying a rock-solid season, as he'll take a .280/.341/.506 slash line across 185 plate appearances into Thursday. Abrams' season stat line is a testament to his versatility, as it's partly comprised of eight doubles, two triples, eight homers and nine stolen bases.
Abrams has also crossed the plate 28 times in 42 games, and he's collected 47 hits overall in that span. He's hit safely in 28 of those contests, and the fact he hits ahead of Wood certainly helps his cause for both these props.
Like Wood, Abrams hits from the left side, which makes him very appealing in this matchup against Hancock. The right-hander's overall struggles were already outlined in Wood's entry, and in addition to the numbers cited there, it's worth noting Hancock has pitched to a .458 BAA and .635 wOBA against left-handed hitters at home.
Abrams went into Wednesday night's action with a .333 average and 1.101 OPS on the road, and although those numbers took a slight hit with the outfielder's 0-for-4, one-run night, he's another good candidate to roll with Thursday.
