Daily Dinger: Best Home Run Prop Bets Today (Stick with St. Louis to Slug Away at Aníbal Sanchez)
By Ben Heisler
Happy Labor Day to all of you as you get set for a 12-game slate of Major League action spread out throughout the day.
While most of the country is off, we're back working and tallying up our favorite MLB home run props for this afternoon and evening. The obvious location for two of us today comes from St. Louis, where the Cardinals' red-hot bats host the lowly Washington Nationals this afternoon. Then on the west coast, the San Diego Padres welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks to town just as one of their big MLB Trade Deadline acquisitions is starting to get back in rhythm at the plate.
Here are our top home run "Daily Dinger" picks for Labor Day, Monday, September 5, with all odds coming via FanDuel Sportsbook.
You may also follow along in our team standings all season long HERE!
Best Home Run Picks Today
- Nolan Arenado (+380)
- Tommy Edman (+800)
- Juan Soto (+265)
Nolan Arenado (+380) – Washington Nationals vs. St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals and Nolan Arenado have an easy matchup on Labor Day, as they take on the struggling Aníbal Sánchez and the Washington Nationals.
Sánchez has allowed 12 homers in just nine appearances in the 2022 season, and he has just one outing where he didn’t allow a long ball. The Cardinals are one of the best offenses in baseball, so I expect we see someone go deep in this game.
Why not Arenado?
The veteran third baseman has hit Sánchez well in his career, tallying four hits in 12 at-bats and drawing a pair of walks as well. With 28 homers on the season and a .303 batting average, Arenado is clearly one of the best hitters in the game.
I’ll take a shot on him at nearly 4/1 odds against one of MLB’s worst pitchers on Monday. – Peter Dewey
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
Tommy Edman (+800) - St. Louis Cardinals vs. Washington Nationals
I get that Edman isn't your prototypical home run threat hitting ninth in the Cardinals' lineup today vs. Aníbal Sánchez, but have you seen his numbers lately?
The St. Louis second baseman has two dingers in his last three games, and three in his last five. Over the last week, only Aaron Judge and Austin Riley, two MVP candidates have a higher isolated power than Edman, who also has a 1.462 OPS and a .440 batting average during that time.
As Peter pointed out above, Sánchez gives up plenty of long balls; giving up an average of 2.33 HR/9 in nine starts. He's going to get tagged by this Cardinals' lineup, and with plenty of bats Sánchez WON'T want to throw to in the aforementioned Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Tyler O'Neill and others, there won't be any place to hide from Edman.
Follow all of Ben’s betting plays in real-time HERE!
Juan Soto - Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Diego Padres
Juan Soto hasn’t exactly been the offensive juggernaut that the Padres thought they were getting when they traded for him at the deadline. He has only hit three home runs as a Padre, but I think that could change tonight.
San Diego is set to host the Arizona Diamondbacks, who will be starting Ryne Nelson on the mount. This will serve as Nelson’s Major League debut, but he’s struggled in the minors this season. He has a 5.43 ERA in 26 AAA starts in 2022, and he’s been giving up 1.7 home runs per nine innings.
If he’s giving up that many dingers at AAA, imagine what this Padres lineup can do. – Iain MacMillan
You can track Iain's bets on Betstamp here.