Astros vs. Braves: The best player prop bets for World Series Game 4

The first two games of the 2021 World Series were chock-full of offense, but Game 3 saw pitching rise to the fore in a 2-0 decision in favor of the Atlanta Braves.

Will the Houston Astros’ offense wake up in Game 4, or will it be more of the same at Truist Park on Saturday night? Let’s start finding out as we highlight our three favorite prop wagers for this contest.

Houston Astros at Atlanta Braves 8:09 p.m. ET, FOX

Travis d’Arnaud Over/Under 0.5 Hits

After barely batting above the “Mendoza line” heading into the World Series, Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud’s bat has suddenly come alive. Bettors should anticipate this trend continuing on Saturday night.

d’Arnaud has begun the World Series 5-for-12 at the dish with a pair of home runs, his most recent one providing closer Will Smith some ninth-inning insurance in a Game 3 save situation.

We won’t be too bold and predict that d’Arnaud will hit a homer for the third straight game, but we feel safe in betting that the Braves’ backstop will hit safely at least once in this one. It’s worth noting that he’s 3-for-7 with a four-bagger in his career against Astros starter Zack Greinke.

MLB pick: Over (-177)

Yordan Alvarez Over/Under 0.5 Hits

ALCS MVP Yordan Alvarez has gotten off to an inauspicious start in the 2021 Fall Classic, going 1-for-8 with a triple and three walks. Bettors should be bearish on Alvarez player props in Game 4.

If you take away Alvarez’s incredible Game 5 and 6 of the ALCS, he’s merely 9-for-33 (.273) this postseason with a homer and five RBI. That’s hardly of the résumé of someone who needs to be pitched around at every opportunity.

Don’t be surprised if the Astros slugger is held without a hit on Saturday night.

MLB pick: Under (+178)

Yuli Gurriel Over/Under 0.5 Hits

Yuli Gurriel has been one of Houston’s most consistent hitters all postseason long, so it was surprising to see him held out of the hit column in Game 3 (0-for-3), even as his teammates all flailed at the plate around him. He should bounce right back in this spot.

Not only did Gurriel start the postseason 16-for-47 (.340), but he could enjoy multiple at-bats against left-handed pitchers from Atlanta’s southpaw-heavy bullpen. In the regular season, Gurriel hit .326 against lefties, compared to .315 against righties. The difference in OPS (.925 against lefties, .805 against righties) was even more stark.

MLB pick: Over (-225)