Mark Lammey
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Sundays in the MLB can certainly be hard to navigate in terms of sides and totals. Some teams are going for sweeps, some are resting players as a get-away day, and all the situations in between. Let’s take advantage of individual players by looking at the prop markets in the Astros and Angels games. Along with our player props, be sure to check out our full game previews for tonight’s matchups.
Yordan Alvarez over 1.5 total bases (+110)
The Astros are looking to avoid being swept by the Blue Jays and Yordan Alvarez is a primary candidate to help them do so. He has even more responsibility to help produce without Jose Altuve in the lineup. Thankfully, he and the Astros face Yusei Kikuchi on the mound on Sunday. Alvarez specifically has great previous success against Kikuchi. He has a .778 slugging percentage and 1.111 OPS in 18 career at bats against him.
Not only does Alvarez have success against today’s starter, he’s an overall great hitter. He finished the 2021 season with 149 hits and led the Astros in RBI with 104. Out of those 149 hits, 35 were doubles and 33 were home runs. Those extra-base hits are especially important when playing a prop that involves the need for multiple bases. Similarly, he was second on the team with a .531 slugging percentage. That is the number of total bases reached from hits divided by at-bats, which is exactly the type of statistic to evaluate for this market. He hasn’t had the start to 2022 to put him on pace for those numbers, but Sunday’s matchup provides a prime opportunity for him to do so.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for the Toronto Blue Jays at Houston Astros
Shohei Ohtani over 1.5 total bases (+105)
Another player trying to help their team avoid a sweep is Shohei Ohtani. The Angels series is a much more surprising one as they are at risk of getting swept at home by the Orioles. Baltimore is not a team that should be sweeping anyone, let alone a team with 2 of the last 3 AL MVP winners. He may not be on the mound, but it’s time for it to become Ohtani time. Shohei may not be taking the league by storm at the plate just yet, but he is still leading the Angels in hits and is 2nd in slugging percentage.
He has a great opportunity to get back on pace with his .592 slugging percentage and .964 OPS from last season against O’s starter Chris Ellis. He has just 1 appearance on the season and that was against the A’s. Oakland’s lineup, now void of Matt Olson, does not have any bats the likes of Ohtani. Ellis shouldn’t be able to avoid Ohtani either; Mike Trout batting behind him is a nightmare for opposing pitchers as well. Shohei should be able to take advantage of a pitcher with 1 win in 3 seasons of playing time and perhaps even match Trout’s home runs from last night.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for the Baltimore Orioles at Los Angeles Angels
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