It’s a small MLB slate on Thursday. It’s also a slate mostly contained to the afternoon. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t bet a couple strikeout props on the DraftKings Sportsbook. If anything, that definitely sounds like more fun than doing your job. …Unless you’re a magician. That would be more fun.
Let’s take a look at some pitcher props.
Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox
Chris Bassitt Under 5.5 Strikeouts (+110)
I could see why some might think this bet is misguided. In his last outing, Bassitt pitched 6.2 scoreless innings against the Mets with nine strikeouts. For the season as a whole, Bassitt’s actually struck out 16 opponents in just 12.2 frames. That’s pretty good. Also, if you watched Wednesday’s extra-innings affair between these two clubs, you’d have just witnessed the Red Sox strike out 14 times in one game. All signs point to the over, right? Wrong.
This simply isn’t who Chris Bassitt is. The right-hander’s strikeout rate has been exactly 22% each of the past three seasons and only once in his entire career has Bassitt managed to produce a swinging strike rate above 10%. He’s always been a pitcher who relies far more on location and pitch mix than velocity and whiffs. Apologies if I have some doubt that those traits are going to change in Bassitt’s age 36 campaign. Thursday’s the day this all starts to normalize. I’m not saying that Bassitt can’t have a quality outing, but I don’t believe he’ll rack up six strikeouts in the process.
Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves
Jesus Luzardo 7+ Strikeouts (+120)
Has something finally clicked for Luzardo? The former top pitching prospect for the Athletics has long been a projectable arm, yet the results at the MLB level have been underwhelming. Well, in two starts in 2025 with the Phillies, Luzardo has been masterful, striking out 41.3% of the opponents he’s faced across 12.0 innings of work.
The left-hander has always possessed the arsenal to be this type of pitcher, but his pitch mix with the Philadelphia is notable. It’s only been two outings, but Luzardo is throwing his slider more than ever before. In fact, with a 37.4% usage, it’s actually been Luzardo’s primary offering in 2025, with his fastball’s usage checking in at 35.3%. Speaking of his fastball, the southpaw’s average velocity is up a significant amount from 2024, with Luzardo sitting at 96.7 mph. It’s not hard to see how he registers so many whiffs.
Matchup should also play a role in Luzardo hitting this prop. The Braves have struggled to do a lot of things in their 2-9 start to the season and making consistent levels of contact at the plate is certainly on that list. Through 11 games, Atlanta owns the league’s sixth-highest strikeout rate as a team (25.2%).
