MLB picks, World Series best bets: Props for Ketel Marte, Corey Seager in play for Rangers-Diamondbacks Game 2

Holy smokes, what an incredible World Series Game 1. We saw the strengths of both teams, some back-and-forth and late-inning drama. What more could one ask? 

Well, I guess I could've used a Marcus Semien run. I lost that play. I did hit, with ease, the Nathan Eovaldi strikeout prop, however, and my home run pick of Corey Seager came home. I'm now 33-18 this postseason on official plays, which exclude the home run pick. 

Let's have another good day for Game 2. 

Diamondbacks (+130) at Rangers (-155), 8:05 p.m. ET

Starting pitchers: RHP Merrill Kelly (2-1, 2.65) vs. LHP Jordan Montgomery (3-0, 2.16)

There's very little meaningful data here. Any individual matchups are incredibly small-sample data sets, so we're left putting together educated guesses. Hey, we've been watching these guys very closely for long enough to give that a shot, though, right? 

The play:Ketel Marte over 1.5 H+R+RBI (-140) 

Marte has now gone over 1.5 hits plus runs plus RBI in 10 of his 13 playoff games this season. I've played the prop twice and missed it both times. I'm bound and determined to not have another miss here. He's on too much of a heater to not ride. There's also this: Throughout his career, the switch-hitting Marte has been a much better hitter from the right side against lefties.  

In Marte's career, he has hit .304 with an .874 OPS against lefties and .267 with a .763 OPS against righties. In 2023, he hit .313 with an .879 OPS against lefties while hitting .259 with an .828 OPS against righties. He gets a lefty in Game 2 to start and the expectation here is -- especially after Eovaldi had a shorter outing than they would've liked -- the Rangers stick with him a while. Marte will get three looks at him. 

Oh, and as a bonus, Marte is 3 for 6 with a triple in his career against Montgomery. 

The play: Corey Seager over 0.5 BB (+140)

It's tempting to go bigger here than a walk prop, but that seems like the surest thing right now. Remember Kelly's start in Game 6 of the NLCS where he turned in a very good outing against the Phillies. Their two dangerous early order lefties are Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. He walked both in the first and it seemed almost purposeful. He wanted to make the righties beat him instead of the lefties. Seager hit .333/.408/.667 against righties this season, too, with 26 of his 33 homers. 

Bonus home run sprinkle: Adolis García, +235

There's nothing else behind this than the obvious. He's homered in five straight games now. He's even struck out four times before hitting a grand slam. He didn't hit his home run in Game 1 until the 11th inning. It just keeps happening and we might as well ride the wave until it subsides.