The MLB All-Star Game is just a few days away, the Wild Card race is as tight as ever, and there are multiple meaningful matchups on today’s slate of games. With so many games on the schedule impacting playoff positioning, it’s a great time to get in on the wagering action, and here we offer our best MLB strikeout prop picks for Wednesday, July 5, 2023.
Thursday Action: Thursday’s MLB Strikeout Props
Our selections for tonight’s contests include taking the Over against two of the worst strikeout teams in the league, and the Yankees forcing the Under in their matchup against the Orioles.
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Today’s MLB Betting Lines
Here are the odds from Caesars Sportsbook for the games we have strikeout prop picks on tonight. Also, check out the promos and bonuses offered by the top sports betting apps to pick up some house money.
| Game Time | Teams | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu (9/28) @ 2:45pm ET | KC Royals | +1.5 -233 | -110 | u7.5 -120 |
| DET Tigers | -1.5 +192 | -110 | o7.5 +100 | |
| Thu (9/28) @ 7:07pm ET | NY Yankees | +1.5 -135 | +158 | o8.5 -110 |
| TOR Blue Jays | -1.5 +115 | -189 | u8.5 -110 | |
| Thu (9/28) @ 9:40pm ET | TEX Rangers | +1.5 -222 | +100 | u7.5 -110 |
| SEA Mariners | -1.5 +180 | -120 | o7.5 -110 |
MLB Strikeout Props (7/5/23)
Here are our top three MLB strikeout prop bets for Wednesday’s action.
Eduardo Rodriguez Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-117 on Caesars)
Tigers lefty Eduardo Rodriguez hasn’t thrown fewer than five strikeouts in a game since April 12. He has since faced the Orioles twice and the Mets once. Both teams are near the best in the league at avoiding strikeouts, and he found a way to get it done. On Wednesday, he is up against an Athletics team that is fifth worst in the category with 800 Ks surrendered on the season.
Seven of the A’s batters with at least 100 plate appearances have strikeout percentages of .270 or higher, including five with .300 or higher. As a team, they are in one of their bad stretches at the plate. In the first game of this series, they struck out 12 times, nine the game before that, and another 10 the game before that.
Rodriguez’s strikeouts for the season sit at 67, which isn’t bad given the number of games he has started. With only 11 starts under his belt (67.2 innings), he is averaging nearly a strikeout per inning. That’s a good enough clip to take him on Over 4.5 tonight.
Dean Kremer Under 4.5 Strikeouts (+104 on FanDuel)
Dean Kremer is coming off of a solid June by his standards. The Orioles hurler amassed 34 strikeouts and a 4-2 record for the month. In each of his last eight starts, he hit the five-strikeout mark. However, the bulk of the teams he faced in that stretch were among the leaders in strikeouts.
The Yankees have calmed down the strikeout issues that have plagued them over the previous couple of years. In 2023, they are the eight-best team in the league at avoiding strikeouts, only allowing 696 on the season so far. They have also allowed double-digit strikeouts only twice in their last 15 games. In the first two games of the current series, they haven’t allowed five strikeouts to either starting pitcher.
Additionally, the current Yankees roster has a career .339 batting average against Kremer. The last time he faced the Bronx Bombers, he allowed four runs and a homer through four innings. The Yankees offense is hot, and given Kremer’s success against the lineup historically, he may not be the pitcher to cool them down. We like the New York bats to keep Kremer Under his strikeout total on Wednesday.
Alex Cobb Over 5.5 Strikeouts (+115 on BetMGM)
This is a value pick. At +115, it’s worth consideration, although six or more strikeouts aren’t the norm for Alex Cobb.
One thing Cobb has going for him is his success against the current Mariners lineup. Seattle’s bats have a collective .232 batting average, a .259 slug percentage, and a .526 on-base plus slugging percentage against Cobb. That bodes well for Cobb’s chances of keeping the runs low and extending his time on the mound, which he has struggled with lately.
Meanwhile, Seattle is having problems with just about every pitcher when it comes to the strikeout category. They are the third worst in the league in the category with 819 on the season. Their strikeout totals in the last five games have been 9, 12, 8, 13, and 6. The nine- and 12-strikeout performances have come in the current series against the Giants. Whatever the Giants’ approach is, it’s working, which should also help Cobb hit the Over on this total
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