Gimme Props with Luke Shuey, MLB Picks, MLB Free Picks, MLB Predictions - 6/9/25
- Luke Shuey
- Jun 9
- 3 min read
MLB: Luis Ortiz (Guardians) OVER 5.5 K's
New week, new opportunity to DOMINATE the books! We dish out 3 free plays every day so let’s dive right in. We start things off as the battle of Ohio in Major League Baseball takes place in Cleveland where the Guardians open their series against the Cincinnati Reds. Veteran Luis Ortiz is on the bump for Cleveland and I love backing him here in the strikeouts category. The Reds strike out 8.8 times per game, ranking 25th in baseball. Ortiz has good history against Reds hitters: they’ve combined to strike out 17 times in 61 at-bats, which is a 28% rate. Ortiz is coming off a 5 & ⅔ shutout performance with 7 K’s against the Yankees. He’s also posted 6 games this season of 7+ strikeouts so he’s more than capable with his nasty stuff. Lastly, Ortiz’s home splits are dominant. His ERA is 2.22 compared to 5.40 on the road, OBA is .196 vs .266 on the road, and most importantly he’s posted 37 K’s in 5 starts at home vs 34 K’s in 7 starts on the road. This is a prime spot for him to crush the over. I got the line at -136 this morning and I fully expect it to move to -175 or more by first pitch. Lock this one in early: Take Luis Ortiz OVER 5.5 K’s!
MLB: Yusei Kikuchi (Angels) OVER 5.5 K's
For the next free play we got out West but stay in the strikeouts category. The books post a strong over line for Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi. He’s had a deceivingly good 2025 campaign with his WHIP sitting at 1.59 due to horrible command. Kikuchi has walked 4+ batters in 4 straight games, but the Athletics lineup isn’t very patient. I expect better efficiency tonight. Kikuchi averages just 4.8 K’s/game this season but the books post his line slightly juiced to the OVER at 5.5 which signals a great value spot. Sacramento was near the top of the league at making contact but they’ve trended way down lately, now averaging 8.22 K’s/game. Only 3 hitters have ever faced Kikuchi and he’s a tough lefty to see the first few times at the plate. This is a VERY strong line functionality play: Take Yusei Kikuchi OVER 5.5 K’s for the second dub!
MLB: Austin Riley (Braves) OVER 1.5 Hits, Runs, RBIs
Last but not least we go to American Family Field in Milwaukee where the Brewers host the Braves. We’re getting an absolute bargain on Austin Riley’s combo stat line in this game. Riley leads the Braves team with a .279 batting average and hits in the 2-hole behind Acuna Jr. for this very talented lineup. Riley has loved having Acuna Jr. back from injury as he’s seeing way better pitches to hit and putting up good numbers. He’s 7 for his last 18 with 4 runs, 3 extra base hits, and 2 RBIs. While he’s never faced Aaron Civale in his career, Civale is still trying to find his stuff this season. He’s had a couple decent outings lately but is prone to the home run ball and I think the Braves will knock him around a bit tonight. Riley hits right-handed pitching even better than lefties and he’s been playing really high quality baseball. Take Austin Riley OVER 1.5 Hits, Runs, & RBIs and let’s sweep the board!!
Check out YLose Handicapper Luke "Prop Master" Shuey every day as he breaks down Player Props and releases free picks for NFL, NBA, MLB as well as College Sports such as NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball on his daily podcast available anywhere you get your podcasts from. Ylose.com/props.
