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Friday offers your usual smorgasbord of quality and quantity, with elite matchups like Atlanta taking on the Dodgers highlighting the evening but also intriguing offerings like Mets-Mariners, Orioles-Diamondbacks and Yankees-Astros.

Here are tonight’s Underdog and Prizepicks plays for Friday’s MLB slate.‍‍

‍Justin Verlander: 6.5 strikeouts -Higher (Underdog)‍

Houston's Verlander will be facing a Yankees’ lineup that has struggled throughout the year, and now will have a handful of rookies lined up Friday. In his last two starts, the future Hall of Famer has struck out 16 while not allowing a run. So, while this is a higher number for a hurler who no longer has elite swing-and-miss stuff, the opportunity is readily apparent here for Verlander to pile up the strikeouts in the worst New York lineup in a long time.

‍Corey Seager: 1.5 Total Bases - Higher (Prizepicks)

‍Seager was excellent in August with a slash of .337/.417/.704 with 10 homers in what has quietly been one of his best offensive seasons even with injuries that have limited the left-handed hitting shortstop to 90 games as of Friday. He’ll go up against Joe Ryan, a talented hurler but who has allowed 26 homers in 131 innings with left-handed hitters posting an .818 OPS against him. As long as Seager is healthy, he’s a great bet in daily games to hit the over in on-base totals.

‍Cole Irvin: 2.5 runs - Over (Underdog)

‍Irvin has pitched well for most of August with a 2.25 ERA, but he’s been inconsistent, allowing four runs against the Rockies on Friday over six innings. The Diamondbacks offense has scored just one run over the last two games, but it’s a solid lineup with talented hitters who are due for some positive regression in the coming games. It just doesn’t seem like there’s enough upside to bet on a pitcher like Irvin in a game like this to hold a lineup to under three runs.

‍Bryce Harper + Christian Yelich: 3.5 Hits + Runs + RBI combo - Over (Prizepicks)

‍This is a fun one. Both Yelich and Harper have been swinging the bat well, but the challenge here is the pitchers they’ll be facing. Harper will go up against Freddy Peralta, while Yelich will swing the bat against Zack Wheeler. Those are two of the better pitchers in the National League --if not all of baseball -- but because of the way both Harper and Yelich are playing, it seems reasonable to expect at least one of those former MVPs to have a big game Friday.

‍Pete Alonso: 8.0 fantasy points - Lower(Underdog)

‍The man they call Polar Bear is always a threat to hit a round tripper or two, but Alonso will be facing off against Logan Gilbert, a pitcher who has been excellent in the second half of the season. And while the first baseman does have 39 homers in 2023, he’s also had significant contact issues. He’s struck out multiple times in five of his last seven games and 119 times in 459 at-bats. Add in the fact that Alonso doesn’t have many quality options to drive in and it’s hard to see him reaching that point total unless he goes deep.

It’s another full slate of games Wednesday, and there are more than a handful of interesting options to gander over. Colorado-Atlanta provides some intriguing value, but a ‘lesser’ game like Kansas City taking on Pittsburgh also offers intrigue.

Here are tonight’s Underdog and Prizepicks plays for Wednesday’s MLB slate.

Bobby Witt Jr. 1.5 Total Bases - Higher (Underdog)‍

It’d be hard to overstate just how good the Royals' infielder has been in August, as the young star has hit.327/.379/.626 with eight homers while stealing nine bags and driving in 21 runs even for a weak team. On Wednesday, he’ll go up against the Pirates' Andre Jackson; who pitched decently over his last two starts but offers plenty of opportunity with less-than-spectacular stuff. Don’t be surprised if Witt Jr. offers a combo meal with a homer and a steal, and he’s a good bet to reach the over on that 1.5 total.

Nolan Jones : 1.5 Total Bases - Higher (Prizepicks)

Somewhat quietly, Jones has been one of the better rookies in baseball, coming into Wednesday with a slash of .271/.353/.488. He’ll get a chance to place in the friendly confines of Coors Field, and the former Cleveland prospect will also get a chance to face a right-hander who is making his MLB debut in Darius Vines. Jones is hitless in his last three games, and while that makes things a little more nerve-wracking, it also means he’s due for a big game.

Matt Olson: 0.5 RBI - More (Prizepicks)

Olson will be going up against a lefty in Kyle Freeland, and while he is statistically worse against southpaws than he is righties, worse is a subjective term considering he’s posted an .891 OPS with nine homers and 27 RBI over his 125 plate appearances. Add in the fact he’ll be playing in the friendly confines of Coors Field with some elite hitters hitting in front of him, and Olson is as good of a bet for an RBI as any player Wednesday.

Dane Dunning: 4.0 strikeouts - Higher (Underdog)

Dunning has been able to miss bats at much higher rate as of late, with 39 strikeouts over 29.2 innings of work in his five starts thus far in August. The Mets certainly offer a chance for missed bats, and are not exactly in striking distance for a playoff spot. Dunning should be able to hit his mark as long as he can throw enough strikes to do so; something he admittedly struggled with Friday against the Twins.

Brandon Pfaadt : 4.5 Strikeouts - Lower (Underdog)

There’s reason for long-term upside with Pfaadt, as he was one of the best minor-league hurlers in baseball in 2022, and there have been some flashes of brilliance in 2023 despite his ugly 5.91 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 67 innings during his rookie campaign. Asking him to reach this total is asking him to work deep against the Dodgers, a lineup that is as feared as any in all of baseball. There’s just too much risk on betting overs with Pfaadt against this kind of team.

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The Houston Astros have terrorized the Boston Red Sox this week, putting up 19 runs over the last two games, both of which started by two of Boston’s best pitchers, Chris Sale and Brayan Bello.

Sale and Bello kept the games close, giving up three and two earned runs respectively, but the bullpen couldn’t contain Houston’s bats. Jose Altuve hit for the cycle in the first game, and Yordan Álvarez homered in both games, hitting seven for nine over the two nights.

Vlad Jr Could Go Off Wednesday

The Contrarian Edge Optimizer likes the idea of doubling down on the Astros stack -- a lineup that tied a franchise record 66 hits in the last four games -- but there are also alternatives to consider. Specifically, take a look at Toronto and Seattle. Both have excellent matchups today, so let’s take a closer look.

The Blue Jays face off against Patrick Corbin and the Nationals at the Rogers Centre this afternoon. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($5000) could be poised for a big day. He’s riding a 10-game hitting streak, during which time he's slashing .302/.333/.438 with two home runs.

If you’re looking for some cheaper options to round out your lineup, keep an eye on both Blue Jays catchers. Danny Jansen ($3600) and Alejandro Kirk ($3000) are each available for less than $4000 on Draft Kings and rostering them should allow you a few extra dollars to roster a top tier bat or one of the three best pitchers on today’s card.

Either Santiago Espinal ($2400) or Whit Merrifield ($4400) could offer hits and runs if the Blue Jays put it together. And don’t sleep on George Springer ($4700), who’s been back in the leadoff spot this series and has put together a really nice run with a five-game hitting streak.

No August swoon for Seattle bats

The Mariners bats were momentarily silenced at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday night, but they’ve been red hot this month, leading the team to a 20-6 record in August. They should stack up nicely against Zach Neal, who’s starting for Oakland for the first time since 2016.

The Mariners have been excellent against right-handed pitchers this season, hitting .240/.323/.419 with a team wRC+ of 108 this season. During their hot streak this August, those numbers are even more impressive -- .279/.363/.486 and a wRC+ of 138 against right-handed pitching.

The Optimizer likes Seattle's Teoscar Hernandez ($4500) as one of your outfielders, and you could do worse than supplementing his production with leadoff man JP Crawford ($4300). Third baseman Eugenio Suarez ($4600) offers some nice pop and while you should avoid Julio Rodriguez, who is day-to-day after a late scratch on Tuesday night, Dominic Canzone ($3000) is a very cost-effective option who’s been on a nice run over the last 10 days, hitting .306/.306/.500.

Pitchers to consider

As for pitching, the wind is blowing in at Wrigley Field, and the Brewers' Brandon Woodruff ($10200) has looked every bit like the ace we know he can be since coming back from the injured list. He’s thrown 22.2 innings across four starts with 29 strikeouts, and only the Rangers scored more than two runs against Woodruff since his return.

Another pitcher to consider is the Giants' Logan Webb ($9500), who has gone five or more innings in 18 of 19 starts this season – including a seven-inning start with seven strikeouts against the Reds at Great American Ballpark in July.

Oracle is a much more pitcher-friendly environment, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Webb surpass that strikeout total from July with a free-swinging Reds team that ranks 25th in MLB with a 24.5 percent strikeout rate.

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