MLB Picks and Props for Friday, May 29: Will Washington Work?

Danny Burke

Written by: Danny Burke

Published: Fri May 29, 2026, 12:13 pm ET

Read Time: 4 minutes

James Wood and the Nationals have lost three straight games to Atlanta this season - Nationals Braves Picks

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There is no shortage of excitement on the diamond today, and I can't wait to dish out a few wagers from Friday's slate.

Below, I've got several MLB picks and props for Friday, May 29. Let's take a look.

MLB Picks and Props for Friday, May 29

San Diego Padres vs Washington Nationals 

How about these Washington Nationals? They are coming off a 3-2 loss in Cleveland, but were in the midst of a four-game win streak entering that contest.

Conversely, the mood in the visitors' dugout is not the same, as the Padres have dropped four consecutive games. San Diego was swept at home by the Phillies, a series that included two shutout losses.

We'll see what their offense can do tonight when they face what appears to be a bullpen-oriented pitching plan. As of now, it seems Paxton Schultz will get the nod for the first inning before handing things over to Andrew Alvarez.

The 26-year-old left-hander has made four appearances this season, totaling 12.2 innings. He's posted a 2.84 ERA, 2.36 xFIP, 47% ground-ball rate and a 2.18 SIERA.

On the other side, Lucas Giolito will be making his third start of the season. His underlying metrics are picking up right where they left off, which is not a good thing. Last year with Boston, he finished with a 3.41 ERA, but also had a 5.01 expected ERA and 4.59 xFIP. Through two outings this season, he owns a 2.70 ERA, but a 6.31 xFIP.

I've been an avid fader of Lucas Giolito throughout the past several years, and I'll gladly take another opportunity to do so tonight.

Pick: Nationals Moneyline (-110)

Zac Gallen is pitching at home for the Diamondbacks today - MLB Picks

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Seattle Mariners 

  • George Kirby Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-121)
  • Zac Gallen Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-130)

One of the late games on Friday's slate offers a pair of props that I'll be attacking, and that's the meeting between the Diamondbacks and Mariners.

Let's start with the home team's starter, George Kirby. I'm placing a bet on him to stay under 5.5 strikeouts this evening. Over the past month, Arizona's bats have improved their approach against righties, as their strikeout rate sits at 20.9% during that span. If you zoom in to just the past two weeks, we see an even better rate of only 18.7%, which is the second-best mark in that time frame.

Kirby has been solid with his 3.54 ERA, but he's only averaging seven strikeouts per nine innings. Through 11 starts, he's generating five punchouts per outing and has stayed below 5.5 strikeouts in five of his past seven starts.

I'll look for Kirby to stay below this mark once again, as Arizona's lineup should be able to maintain some discipline at the plate.

On the flip side, let's support Zac Gallen's strikeout efforts this evening and take him to go over 4.5 against this Mariners lineup.

Gallen's ERA sits at 4.80, which is certainly concerning, but perhaps better days are ahead. His xFIP sits at 4.24, and he's generating ground balls at a 49% clip. Of course, the question is what he's capable of doing in the strikeout department. He's recorded five and six strikeouts in his past two starts, but otherwise has remained below this mark in the majority of his outings.

He'll have a good chance to improve in that area, though, considering the Mariners have posted a 23% strikeout rate against righties over the past couple of months. They have been slowly improving as of late, but I still see this as a good spot for Gallen to clear a modest number of just 4.5 strikeouts.

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Danny Burke
Danny Burke

Danny Burke is a betting analyst with a decade of sports media experience. He got his start at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, sharing picks on the local ESPN affiliate. After college, he hosted shows for VSiN in Las Vegas before returning to Chicago to launch 'Rush Hour', the first daily sports betting show from an Illinois casino. He also co-hosted 'Props and Locks' on Fox32’s Bears pregame show and ran 'Bet On, Chicago' on WLS-AM 890.

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