How and where to bet MLB player prop picks, odds for Aug. 20: Jesus Luzardo among best bets

Wednesday's full MLB slate features a number of afternoon games as teams wrap up their series and get set to travel. Two games involving likely playoff teams -- the Philadelphia Phillies vs. the Seattle Mariners and the Houston Astros vs. the Detroit Tigers -- get underway just after 1 p.m. ET. Later in the day, the New York Yankees aim for another win after launching nine home runs against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, and the Milwaukee Brewers visit the Chicago Cubs. With so many games on tap, there are plenty of player props for those interested in MLB betting to get in on at the top sportsbooks.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It enters Week 21 of the 2025 MLB season at a profitable 31-23 on top-rated MLB money line picks. The Inside the Lines team has locked in on its most favorable props for Wednesday's games. Here are some of their best plays.

Best MLB player prop picks for Wednesday, Aug. 20:

• Jesus Luzardo Under 6.5 strikeouts (+105)
• Yusei Kikuchi Over 4.5 strikeouts (-165)

Sportsbook promos for MLB player props on Wednesday, Aug. 20

The FanDuel promo code offers $300 in bonus bets if a new user's first wager of $5 or more wins. The bet365 bonus code offers $200 in bonus bets after a first wager of $5 or more, whether the bet wins or loses. The new DraftKings promo code offers $200 in bonus bets and a $200 discount on NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube TV.

The BetMGM promo code offers up to $1,500 in bonus bets, matching the amount of your first bet with the book if that first bet loses. The Fanatics Sportsbook promo code offers a $100 No Sweat Bet every football "game day" through October 12, meaning every NFL or college football weekend game day, if their first football bet that day loses.

Unlike the other offers, the Caesars Sportsbook promo code offers profit boosts. New users can get 20 100% profit boost tokens after betting at least $1.

Best MLB player props on Wednesday

For free sportsbook picks every day, check out the Inside the Lines Blog.

Jesus Luzardo Under 6.5 strikeouts 

Jesus Luzardo tops our projected strikeout leaders, but there's a slight lean to his Under with the line set at 6.5 at a +105 price on DraftKings. Luzardo has a somewhat fascinating stretch going on. Over his last 11 starts, he has either struck out seven batters (seven times) or four (four times). That's quite a coincidence. Given the price and our projection, the Under is the play here. 

Yusei Kikuchi Over 5.5 strikeouts 

FanDuel actually has this available at 4.5 (-166) as of publication, which is a notably strong play given our projection of 5.88. That number may jump to 5.5, in line with other books like DraftKings, before long. Kikuchi has surpassed 4.5 strikeouts in 73% (19-7) of his starts. And there is buy-low value here with the southpaw coming off a three-strikeout, three-walk, four-earned run outing. Other starters who average between 5.5 and 6.0 Ks (Kikuchi averages 5.73) are 5-0 with a 7.4 punchout average when facing the Reds at home. They are 6-2 facing the Reds at Cincinnati.

MLB home run, stolen base, strikeout cheat sheet

The SportsLine Model was developed and is powered by the Inside the Lines team. You can find all of the team's picks and content at our blog, which has all our personal best bets for free. The system is simple. We take the strongest SportsLine Model projected values vs the best available prices at the time we publish our content. In most cases, lines move in our direction, so you should bookmark the blog, follow us on social, and make it a habit of checking for updates throughout the day to maximize your expected value. 

The table below shows today's projected leading Home Run, Stolen Base and Strikeout Leaders. We include the projection, and for HRs and SBs the money line we'd set for YES HR/SB. You can use this cheat sheet to compare it to your book's line and if your book's line is significantly higher than ours (and you like the player), then you would want to consider that bet.