Rivalry Weekend wraps up on Sunday with all 30 Major League Baseball teams on the schedule. In the late afternoon window, four games start just after 4:00 pm ET before the Sunday Night Baseball showdown between the Mets and the Yankees in New York. From those five games, let’s dig up some fun starting pitcher prop bets for this Sunday. My top three plays from the late afternoon and evening include plays from Justin Verlander, Chase Dollander and Max Fried.
Yesterday, I narrowly got the victory, going 2-1 with my starting pitcher prop bets thanks to a single run from the Guardians. Every day of the season, DraftKings Sportsbook offers multiple ways to get in on the action with player props, Moneylines and picks against the spread from each MLB contest. You can also pick series winners, award winners and team futures as well, so be sure to check out all the options available on the MLB page of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Here is a look at my top starting pitcher prop bets for this Sunday.
Best Starting Pitcher Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Starting Pitcher Race to 3 Strikeouts (Both Pitchers Must Start): Justin Verlander over Jeffrey Springs (-140)
Verlander and Springs meet up in the final game of what used to be the Battle of the Bay, but now is a little weird since the Athletics are homeless. Still, it’s been a fun series at least for the Giants, who have won the first two games while giving up just one run to the A’s.
Verlander will hope to keep them quiet on Sunday, and while I do like the prop for him to get his first win with the Giants at +135, my preferred play in today’s starting pitcher props is this quick-hitter that he’ll win the race to 3 strikeouts.
He has the advantage of being the home team, meaning he’ll pitch first in each inning. He has at least three strikeouts in each of his last five starts, with a total of 23 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings for a 7.06 K/9 over that span. Springs has either three or four strikeouts in seven of his last eight starts with 27 strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings for a 6.02 K/9.
Both teams have been a little strikeout-prone this season, but the Giants having a higher strikeout rate overall and over the last two weeks. Despite that fact, though, Verlander’s better strikeout rate and home field advantage should be enough to help him win this Race to 3 strikeouts in the first inning or two.
Chase Dollander over 4.5 strikeouts recorded (+120)
Dollander has posted uneven results since joining the Rockies, but the top prospect has electric stuff and plenty of punchout potential. He takes the mound for the Rockies in the finale of their series in Arizona at Chase Field.
The youngster took the loss in his last start but was very sharp against the Rangers, matching his career-high with seven strikeouts. He has gone over this number in four of his seven starts, and he was pitching well in one other start before leaving early with a split fingernail.
He had both his seven-strikeout games on the road and has pitched much better away from Coors Field, as is to be expected. While the Diamondbacks have been pretty good at suppressing strikeouts, Dollander’s stuff is good enough that getting him at plus money for five strikeouts is a very favorable number for Sunday afternoon.
Max Fried over 18.5 outs recorded (+135)
For the last of Sunday’s starting pitcher prop bets, let’s take a look at Sunday Night Baseball, where the Yankees host the Mets. The two teams have split the first two games of the series, and in the finale Fried faces David Peterson.
While there are some starting pitcher prop bets I like on both sides, Fried has done a great job going deep into games for the Yankees, and I think he’ll be able to get at least one out in the seventh inning to go over this prop. He has gone over this line in five of his last seven starts, although he went just five innings in Seattle in his most recent start.
He earned a no-decision in that outing but is 6-0 in his nine starts this year with a 1.11 ERA, 2.86 FIP, 0.94 WHIP and 8.3 K/9. His strikeout production has been inconsistent at times, but he has been effective at working plenty of innings even in lower strikeout games, which is why this is the prop I’m targeting to back Fried this Sunday night.
