Daily Dinger: Best Home Run Picks Today (Stay Hot, Byron Buxton)
The losing streak is over!
Shoutout to BetSided's Peter Dewey who kicked us off on the right foot to start August with his pick of New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso (+250) on Monday night against the Washington Nationals and Patrick Corbin.
Tonight, we'll look to make it two straight, zoning in on three lesser-known power bats, as well as one hitter who's been one of baseball's most prestigious names this season.
All odds are listed below at their respective sportsbooks. You canfollow along in our team standings all season long HERE!
Best Home Run Picks Today
- Anthony Santander (+400) - PointsBet Sportsbook
- Jesús Aguilar (+600) - FanDuel Sportsbook
- Byron Buxton (+230) - FanDuel Sportsbook
- Bobby Witt Jr (+300) - Consensus
Anthony Santander - Baltimore Orioles at Texas Rangers
Anthony Santander has been solid for the Baltimore Orioles this season, hitting 19 homers and slashing .257/.340/.455.
The Orioles are facing a very hittable starter on Tuesday, Texas Rangers youngster Spencer Howard, who has a 5.93 ERA and has given up 10 homers in eight games (six starts).
I love fading pitchers that are struggling, and Howard fits that bill in his third MLB season. Santander would be my pick, but any Baltimore starter is worth a shot with this matchup. – Peter Dewey
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
Jesús Aguilar, +600 – Miami Marlins vs. Cincinnati Reds
Aguilar has hit 12 homers on the year and one in the last week, so why can’t he do it today against a struggling pitcher?
Graham Ashcraft has given up a homer in his last two games and in seven of his last 10 starts. At this point, the dinger seems inevitable.
Aguilar is batting .043 points better at home than on the road, so I’m expecting contact and I’m expecting at least one to land in the stands. – Donnavan Smoot
You can find Donnavan Smoot’s full betting record here.
Byron Buxton (+230) - Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit Tigers
The Twins superstar is back in a power groove; with four home runs over his last six games. He got the day off Tuesday in their 5-3 victory over the Tigers and now gets Matt Manning this evening.
Rocco Baldelli said Byron Buxton "was not going to be able to play today."
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) August 2, 2022
"Swinging the bat and running were, at this point, going to be something that probably would have set him back a little bit. So it was a day I think he needed to regroup and hopefully be ready tomorrow."
Manning's 2.25 ERA may look nice, but in just eight big league innings this season, his expected ERA (xERA) is actually more than double that at 4.71. He also doesn't miss bats, striking out just 4.5 batters per nine innings.
Buxton should tear the cover off the ball tonight with a very favorable matchup -- Ben Heisler
Follow all of Ben’s betting plays in real-time HERE!
Bobby Witt Jr. (+300) - Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox
The Kansas City Royals will take on the Chicago White Sox and starting pitcher Lucas Giolito on Tuesday night. Giolito has had a less than stellar season, sporting a 5.14 ERA which includes giving up 1.7 home runs per nine innings.
That means we can capitalize on some home run prop bets against him, and tonight, I’m going to back rookie sensation Bobby Witt Jr. He already has 14 home runs on the season, including his latest coming against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 23rd.
I’ll bet on him to hit his 15th home run tonight. – Iain MacMillan
You can track Iain's bets on Betstamp here.