It’s a small slate of evening games on Thursday, May 15, but that doesn’t mean there will be a lack of strikeouts.
The Astros and Rangers kick off a four-game series tonight with Hunter Brown and Jacob deGrom on the mound. While deGrom isn’t the same pitcher that won two Cy Young awards, he’s been great ahead of his 37th birthday.
Meanwhile, Brown remains one of the best strikeout pitchers in baseball and is having his best season yet. He’s almost matched his 2024 WAR in over 100 less innings pitched.
Every day, you can bet on strikeout prop bets at DraftKings Sportsbook, and here are my two favorites from tonight’s games.
Best Pitcher Strikeout Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Jacob deGrom 7+ Strikeouts (+105)
The days of deGrom holding a sub-2.00 ERA are over, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be effective. The veteran starter is having an excellent start to the 2025 season, pitching to a 2.72 ERA in 43 innings and eight games.
He’s already pitched more innings this season than he did in 2023 and 2024 combined. His strikeouts are down from the previous two seasons, but it’s also tough to judge based on such small sample sizes.
Through eight games, deGrom has 46 strikeouts and averages 9.6 punch-outs per nine. He’s recorded at least seven strikeouts in three of his eight starts, with two finishing at six Ks.
The biggest obstacle is how many innings deGrom pitches. He’s thrown at least six innings just twice this season, and both times he recorded seven strikeouts. The Rangers have typically used deGrom as a five-inning starter, which could limit the amount of Ks he earns.
That being said, he struck out 10 in five frames in his last outing, and is going against an Astros’ team that’s below average in chase percentage this season. Houston chases at a 29.3% clip compared to the league average of 27.8%, per Baseball Savant.
Furthermore, deGrom ranked in the 82nd percentile for chase percentage (32.2%) and 90th percentile in whiff percentage (32.9%). Even nearing 37 years old, deGrom is still capable of hitting at least seven strikeouts. The main concern is whether he lasts enough innings to do so.
Hunter Brown 7+ Strikeouts (+105)
While deGrom is nearing the end of his career, Brown is entering his prime. The 26-year-old is pitching to a 1.48 ERA across 48.2 innings and eight starts this season.
It’s still a small sample size, but it’s a considerable jump from last year’s 3.49 ERA across 170 innings. Brown has always been a good strikeout pitcher, but he’s also taken a leap to start the 2025 campaign. After finishing last season with 179 Ks and 9.5 strikeouts per nine, Brown is up to 58 strikeouts and 10.7 K/9.
Brown’s 10.7 K/9 ranks ninth in MLB, and he sits at the 92nd percentile for strikeout percentage (32%), according to Baseball Savant. He doesn’t have as elite of a whiff percentage or chase rate as deGrom, but it’s still respectable numbers of 70th and 78th percentiles, respectively.
The Astros’ starter has recorded at least seven strikeouts in six of his eight starts this year. He’s also hit at least nine Ks in four straight outings, so taking 8+ strikeouts (+195) or 9+ strikeouts (+360) are solid bets.
The Rangers also have a below average chase rate at 29.9%, so Brown should be able to get slightly more swings out of the zone than normal.
Parlaying both 7+ strikeout bets yields +315 value.