Opening Day certainly lived up to the hype. For the other half of the teams that did not play on Thursday, Friday is their season debut. One player prop sticks out in my mind for Friday, but first, don’t forget to check out all our picks for Friday.
Line available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
In his final 10 starts of the 2021 regular season, Sandy Alcantara recorded 6 or more strikeouts 9 times. He has become one of the best pitchers in the National League in the past few years and his stellar 4-pitch arsenal has been the key to his success. Alcantara can throw a 101 mph sinker and then follow it with a 92 mph changeup which might be the fastest in baseball.
His changeup and slider combo was the main reason that Alcantara ranked in the 61st percentile for whiff rate and the 95th percentile for chase rate in 2021. The Miami ace is a workhorse who rarely allows free passes and loves to get ahead in the count with his off-speed pitches.
San Francisco hitters have a 20% strikeout rate against Alcantara in 65 plate appearances in their careers, but I expect a lot more swings and misses on Friday. Hitters’ timing will likely still need work and Alcantara can be the benefactor of the Giants’ failure. Expect Alcantara to come out looking sharp and sit down at least 6 San Francisco hitters via the strikeout.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Miami Marlins vs San Francisco Giants game
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