MLB Wednesday Picks - July 31

It’s Wednesday, and we’re up against the trade deadline in Major League Baseball. With teams having until 6:00 PM ET to get their deals done, there is still a full 14-game slate on tap for today and tonight, July 31st with the Guardians and Tigers having the day off.

MLB Wednesday predictions

Lawrence Butler Over 0.5 Total Bases (-135)

Los Angeles Angels vs Colorado Rockies - Los Angeles Angels ML (-135)

Taj Bradley Over 5.5 Strikeouts Recorded (-125)

MLB player prop pick: Lawrence Butler Over 0.5 Total Bases (-135)

We’ll open our player prop picks for Wednesday with a player on a hot streak in one of the more unlikely locales in baseball, Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler. He’s been on a major hot streak over the last couple of weeks, and with a 0.5 total bases prop looking at us tonight, Butler has hit that mark in 10 of his previous 11 contests. In the last 15 days, Butler has a scorching triple slash of .447/.957/1.457 with five home runs and seven more extra-base hits.

With Butler on fire, the A’s head across the bay to face the San Francisco Giants and probable starter Logan Webb. Even with that solid pitching opposition facing him, ride the wave with Butler and his Over 0.5 Total Bases (-135) prop for tonight.

Los Angeles Angels vs Colorado Rockies best bet: Los Angeles Angels ML (-135)

The next game we’ll target for Wednesday’s MLB picks is a matchup at Angel Stadium this evening between the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels. The Rockies will trot out lefty Kyle Freeland on the bump against one of the Angels’ best pitching prospects, Davis Daniel. Freeland has pitched better over the last two months, with a 4.18 ERA in July, but he’s still eating innings for one of the worst teams in baseball. Specifically, he's throwing for one of the worst road teams in baseball at 14-40 this season.

Daniel followed up eight innings of four-hit ball in his 2024 debut at the end of June with a so-so start against the A’s and a horrific start against the Rangers. That led to Daniel going back down to AAA Salt Lake City. Still, against a bad team like Colorado, we still like Daniel and the Halos to bounce back at home. We’ll take the Los Angeles Angels ML (-135) tonight.

MLB player prop pick: Taj Bradley Over 5.5 Strikeouts Recorded (-135)

Our final best bet for Wednesday features the Miami Marlins vs Tampa Bay Rays matchup at Tropicana Field and Tampa’s young right-hander Taj Bradley. 

Bradley has been on another planet lately, posting a microscopic 0.35 ERA in July with just one earned run allowed through four starts. Averaging over six strikeouts per start this month, Bradley has surpassed his 5.5 strikeout prop in four of his last six starts. Facing off against the Marlins minus Jazz Chisholm and potentially Josh Bell, who was placed on waivers earlier this week, the Marlins’ lineup looks less than formidable right now. 

We’ll take Taj Bradley Over 5.5 Strikeouts Recorded (-135) today against a depleted Marlins lineup.