Monday’s MLB slate brings a fresh batch of series and, with it, a few pitcher matchups that home run bettors can circle right away.
That’s the lane for the SI Betting team’s Daily Dinger column, which zeroes in on long-ball props. The idea is simple enough: home runs are hard to predict, but some pitchers make the task a lot easier by giving up damage all season long. On Monday, July 20, three names stand out against vulnerable arms.
Riley Greene is the first bat worth a look. The Detroit Tigers outfielder is hitting .286 with 14 home runs in the 2026 season, and while the power output hasn’t been overwhelming, the production is still strong with an .846 OPS. Since the All-Star break, that number has jumped to 1.000.
Greene gets Chicago Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon, who hasn’t started since early June and has already surrendered 20 home runs in 13 appearances this season. Taillon has also allowed at least one homer in 10 of his outings in 2026.
The matchup has a little extra appeal because Greene has already gone deep off Taillon before. He is 1-for-8 against him in his career, and that one hit left the yard. Greene has also done most of his damage this season against right-handed pitching, batting .304 with a .886 OPS and 12 of his 14 homers.
Dylan Crews is another player with a favorable setup. The Washington Nationals outfielder draws the Colorado Rockies and left-hander Kyle Freeland, and Freeland’s season numbers make the case for a power swing against him. He owns a 7.36 ERA, has allowed 18 home runs in 18 appearances, and the Rockies are 6-12 when he takes the ball.
Since coming off the injured list in late April, Freeland has been even more homer-prone, posting an 8.46 ERA with 17 home runs allowed. Crews has only one career at-bat against him, but he made it count with a home run. Against left-handed pitching this season, Crews is hitting .328 with a .934 OPS and has homered three times in fewer than 60 at-bats.
Washington has other power names in James Wood and CJ Abrams, but Crews stands out as a value play in this spot.
Ketel Marte rounds out the group. The Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman has 17 home runs this season, and seven have come against lefties. That fits neatly with Monday’s matchup against Athletics left-hander Jeffrey Springs, one of the most home-run vulnerable southpaws in the league.
Springs has allowed 26 home runs in 19 outings and has given up at least one homer in 10 straight starts. He also ranks in the 12th percentile in ground-ball percentage in 2026, which gives Marte another path to lifting the ball.
Marte has been especially strong against left-handed pitching this year, hitting .299 with a .933 OPS and a .588 slugging percentage in just 97 at-bats. He’s also batting .308 since the break, and the expectation here is that the hot stretch keeps rolling Monday night.
In Other News…
Spencer Torkelson Keeps Exposing One Frustrating Problem For The Tigers
Spencer Torkelson still gives the Tigers something they cant manufacture any other way: real power in the middle of the order. The former No. 1 overall pick has shown he can change a game with one swing, and that remains a big part of why Detroit keeps leaning on him at first base.
The frustration is what happens when the moment asks for more than power. Torkelson has struggled to turn traffic on the bases into runs, especially in the highest-leverage spots, and the gap between his home run threat and his run production keeps hanging over the lineup. For a Tigers team trying to squeeze every bit of offense out of its core, that inconsistency is hard to ignore.
Justin Verlander Faces A Tigers Legacy Debate Fans Won’t Ignore
Justin Verlanders career has already stretched across eras in Detroit and Houston, and the next chapter now comes with a Hall of Fame wrinkle attached. The veteran right-hander is planning to retire after the 2026 season, which means the conversation around how his legacy will be framed is starting earlier than most, especially for a pitcher whose rsum was built in two very different places.
For Tigers fans, the debate is obvious because Verlander spent 14 seasons in Detroit and became one of the defining arms of that run. But Houston has its own case, too, with two World Series titles and a run of success that added another layer to an already decorated career. The question of which stop will ultimately define him is one that will hang around until the day he makes that final call.
Jackson Jobe’s Latest Rehab Step Has Tigers Fans Watching Closely
Jackson Jobes rehab trail kept moving forward this week, with the Tigers right-hander making his third outing for Double-A Erie as he works back from Tommy John surgery. The step up in competition matters as much as the line itself, because Detroit has been easing him through the process carefully, and this latest start showed he is still building toward something bigger rather than rushing toward the big league rotation.
Jobe threw 44 pitches over three innings, a modest but meaningful increase as the Tigers continue to monitor his workload. He is not ready to rejoin the club yet, and the organization is sticking to its patient approach, but every inning he logs now gives Detroit a better sense of how close he is to being part of the conversation again.
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