It’s MLB Friday, and the schedule is packed with competitive, playoff-impacting games. From Rays-Mariners to Diamondbacks-Cubs to Orioles-Red Sox, there is no shortage of great action to tune into tonight. That means there is also no shortage of MLB strikeout props to consider as well. We outlined a few for you below, including a multiple from the matchups we mentioned earlier. Keep reading for more.
Today’s Betting Lines
The game lines relating to our MLB strikeout props for today are outlined below. If you want more, check out our MLB odds page for the lines to all of tonight’s games from the top sports betting apps. And, of course, shop around for the best sports betting promos on the market to get in on the action.
MLB Strikeout Props (9-8-23)
Here are our best MLB strikeout props for Friday, Sept. 8.
Jameson Taillon – Under Strikeouts
The Diamondbacks and Cubs kicked off the first game of a four-game series yesterday. Currently, both are in possession of the final wild card spots in the NL, so every game is worth a premium in this matchup. Yesterday, the Diamondbacks took the first game of the series, which dropped the Cubs’ hold on the final spot to just a half-game. Tonight, they’ll send Jameson Taillon to the mound in hopes of not dropping two in a row.
Over the last two months of the season, Taillon has routinely tossed at least five or more strikeouts in his starts, but not many of the teams he faced were low-strikeout teams like the Diamondbacks. During their last 10 games, Arizona has only allowed four pitchers to hit five or more strikeouts, and three of them were top 50 in the category this season. Taillon falls outside of that tier this year.
The biggest area of concern for Taillon is his pitch selection. His two primary pitches are the four-seamer and the cutter, which he uses collectively nearly 60% of the time. Only three of the Diamondbacks’ 13 batters with at least 200 plate appearances are hitting fastballs below .250 this season. Relying on his third and fourth most used pitch to cover his strikeout total tonight isn’t a favorable wager.
Taj Bradley – Under Strikeouts
The first game of the current Mariners vs. Rays series was a pitcher’s duel, and two quality pitchers will take the mound tonight looking to replicate the success of their dugout mates, including Taj Bradley for the Rays. This is the second time Bradley will face the Mariners this season. The first was back in July, and he only made it through one batter in the third inning thanks to allowing five runs on a whopping 73 pitches during his brief time on the mound.
Seattle hit a hot streak over their last 30 games to put themselves in contention for the AL West title. They surrendered plenty of strikeouts in that time, but they have also been making excellent contact, hitting at an average of .274 in that time span. Over the last three games, they have even gotten their strikeout totals down, surrendering a maximum of eight to multiple pitchers over the last couple of days. That includes only allowing six in the first game of the series yesterday.
Bradley made his first start since July nearly a week ago after returning from an oblique injury. With a season ERA of 5.42, he is going to have his hands full with the Mariner’s offense, which has scored the seventh most runs in MLB in their last 30 games. That’s especially so given the high batting average Bradley’s top two pitches allow.
Both his four-seamer and cutter allow batting averages of .266 or higher, and the Mariners blitz the fastball as a team. Only one of their 10 hitters with a minimum of 200 plate appearances hit fastballs below .250. That doesn’t leave much room in the lineup for Bradley to rack up strikeouts. We expect him to get the bulk of his outs from ground balls and flyouts tonight given how he matches up with the Mariners’ bats.
Emmet Sheehan – Under Strikeouts
Emmet Sheehan will take the mound for the Dodgers tonight against the Nationals, who have been absolutely dominant at avoiding strikeouts this season, leading all of baseball in the category by a growing margin. The highest total against them in their last 10 games was seven. Sheehan has registered at least four Ks in all but two of his nine starts in his rookie season, which is an impressive feat. However, he hasn’t made it deep into a game consistently in quite a while, which is critical to cover strikeout props against Washington.
Sheehan’s total for tonight is low, but it makes sense given he is a rookie who hasn’t received consistent playing time this year. Even pitchers who have registered four strikeouts against the Nationals in their last 10 games needed to see multiple hitters into the fourth inning to reach this low strikeout total, and Sheehan hasn’t made it that far in most of his starts since July. Additionally, Sheehan uses the four-seamer at a 63% clip. The Nationals only have eight batters with 200 or more plate appearances this season, and five of them hit the four-seamer at clips of about .270 or higher.
At even-money odds, it’s a good idea to take the Nationals’ offense to cover strikeout lines, even if the total seems low.
Both his four-seamer and cutter allow batting averages of .266 or higher, and the Mariners blitz the fastball as a team. Only one of their 10 hitters with a minimum of 200 plate appearances hit fastballs below .250. That doesn’t leave much room in the lineup for Bradley to rack up strikeouts. We expect him to get the bulk of his outs from ground balls and flyouts tonight given how he matches up with the Mariners’ bats.
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