MLB Friday is one of the best days in regular-season sports, and today’s schedule lives up to the hype. Multiple games will impact playoff standings as October inches closer. Our MLB strikeout props to wrap up the week aim to earn you a nice payout heading into the weekend. Check out the names and wagers we dug up on the market for Friday, Aug. 18, below.
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Today’s Betting Lines
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MLB Strikeout Props (8/18/23)
Here are our MLB strikeout props for Friday, Aug. 18.
Cole Ragans Over 5.5 Strikeouts (+102 on FanDuel)
Cole Ragans was traded from the Rangers to the Royals in July. After switching uniforms, he was upgraded from relief pitcher to starting pitcher. In four starts with Kansas City, he has compiled 27 strikeouts, including at least five in his last three games. Ragans tossed 11 Ks against Boston and eight against the Mets recently, both of whom are two of the best at avoiding strikeouts. He is up against the Cubs tonight, who are bottom 10 in the category.
The volume of strikeouts Ragans has piled up is largely due to his four-seamer. He averages 96 miles per hour on the pitch, drawing a chase percentage about four points above league average. To help keep batters guessing, he utilizes the changeup at a 24% clip, and the pitch draws a chase percentage six points above league average and limits hitters to a .180 batting average. The combination of power and deception will go a long way in helping him get Over tonight’s total.
Additionally, although the Cubs own one of the better team batting averages, they haven’t been so hot as of late. Ten of their 13 batters who have seen action in the last seven days are hitting .230 or much worse.
Tyler Anderson Over 5.5 Strikeouts (+115 on Caesars)
Tyler Anderson has been hot for the Angels, pitching at least six strikeouts in his last two games – against Houston and Seattle. He also tossed at least five strikeouts in nine of his last 11 games, which means he hovers right around his expected total for tonight. He is up against a Rays lineup that has been headed in the wrong direction for quite some time now.
In three of their last five games specifically, they surrendered at least 12 strikeouts. That’s not a good sign they are performing well at the plate. In fact, in the last seven days, they have allowed 73 total strikeouts in 281 attempts – 26% strikeout rate. Tonight, they’ll have to find their rhythm against Anderson’s changeup and cutter, which he uses at clips of 35% and 22%, respectively.
Both pitches draw chase percentages at least three points above league average and strike percentages above league average. That goes a long way considering the Rays have a chase percentage about two points above league average and are tied 13th in MLB in strikeouts.
Seth Lugo Under 4.5 Strikeouts (+113 on Caesars)
August has not been kind to the Padres’ right-hander. In two games so far, Seth Lugo has allowed 10 runs, 14 hits, and only tossed six strikeouts. One of those let-down performances was against the Diamondbacks, who he faced in his last start and is up against again tonight. Friday’s contest marks the third time he has faced them this season, and neither performance has been dominant.
The Diamondbacks are top 10 in the league in plate discipline and are tied for top 10 in batting average. Lugo has hit the five-strikeout mark against a top-10 team at avoiding strikeouts only twice in his 18 starts, and both were back in April. Lugo’s primary pitches are the curveball and four-seamer, both of which he uses 33% of the time. His two most-used pitches are being hit at .250 or higher and are allowing a hard contact percentage above league average.
That, more than any other stat, shows how well hitters are getting to Lugo’s pitches this season. Consider Under at plus-money on Friday night.
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