SportsLine expert targets Olson and Perez for Friday’s MLB slate
Analysis points to historical matchups and current form for Atlanta’s Matt Olson and Kansas City’s Salvador Perez against Washington and Seattle starters.
SportsLine expert Matt Severance has identified key home run prop opportunities for the Major League Baseball games scheduled for Friday, May 22. The analysis focuses on specific pitcher-batter matchups, recommending Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson against Washington Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas, and Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez against Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert.
Severance’s selections are grounded in historical performance data and current pitching vulnerabilities. Olson holds a 4-for-15 record with two home runs and two doubles against Mikolas. The expert notes that Olson, who has played all 162 regular-season games over the past four years, is currently on a 10-game home run drought despite hitting 14 home runs this season with a .921 OPS.
The recommendation for Olson is further supported by the recent return of Ronald Acuna Jr. from a hamstring injury. Severance suggests that Acuna’s presence on base may improve the pitch selection Olson sees while batting third. Additionally, Mikolas has struggled significantly, holding a 1-3 record with a 6.91 ERA and having surrendered 11 home runs, the highest total among major league pitchers.
For the Kansas City Royals, Severance points to Salvador Perez’s success against Logan Gilbert. Perez is 7-for-19 against the Mariners’ starter, yielding two home runs, a double, and an OPS of 1.191. Although Perez’s overall batting average has dipped to .211, he enters the series coming off a three-hit game that included a home run, raising his average above the Mendoza line.
Gilbert, who holds a 2-4 record with a 4.45 ERA, has also surrendered 11 home runs in 10 starts. The expert notes that Gilbert was recently hit hard, allowing seven runs and three home runs in his previous start. Weather forecasts indicate rain at Truist Park in Atlanta, though the game is expected to proceed, while conditions at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City are expected to remain clear.
Severance, who reports a cumulative profit of $1,681 over the past four MLB seasons, also highlighted other notable games on the Friday slate. These include a divisional series between the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers, Gerrit Cole’s return for the New York Yankees, and the Arizona Diamondbacks attempting to secure their sixth consecutive victory.
