Major League Baseball has all 30 teams back in action on Friday after the All-Star break. After an early matinee in Chicago, 14 games are under the lights, giving us 28 teams of starting pitcher prop bets to consider. Most of the teams are looking to options from the middle of their rotation to pick things up as the ceremonial second-half gets underway. After looking at all the many options on the board, my top starting pitcher prop bets for Friday include plays from Justin Verlander, Slade Cecconi and Quinn Priester.
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Best Starting Pitcher Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Justin Verlander over 2.5 earned runs allowed (-110)
Verlander and the Giants return from the break with a trip north of the border to take on the red-hot Blue Jays. The Jays rank in the top five over the last month in runs scored and batting average, averaging 5.3 runs per game in their last 27 games.
Verlander is still looking for his first win of the season, going 0-7 in his first 15 games for San Francisco with a 4.70 ERA, 4.16 FIP and 1.42 WHIP. He has given up more than 2.5 earned runs in three of his last five starts overall and in three of his last five road starts.
In his last trip to Toronto, Verlander had a complete game shutout, but that was all the way back in 2019. He has a 4-7 record in his career against the Jays, with an ERA of 4.13 in 16 games.
With how hot the Jays have been and how much Verlander has struggled this season, I think Toronto will get at least three runs against the 42-year-old righty on Friday night.
Slade Cecconi to record a win (+225)
It’s a long-shot play at +225, but I love the value in backing Cecconi to get a win on Friday night against the A’s. I highlighted him in my best MLB DFS bargains of the day, and also highlighted the Guardians’ offense as one of my top MLB DFS stacks to consider.
Cecconi won his last start and has three wins in his last five outings. In each of his seven most recent starts, Cecconi has allowed three runs or fewer, and he has worked at least five full innings in all but one of those starts. He has a 2.72 ERA, 3.56 FIP and 1.21 WHIP in those seven outings, and he’ll look to turn in another solid start to begin the second half for the Guardians.
Cleveland’s lineup should be able to get him good run support against JP Sears and the A’s struggling relief pitchers. On the other side, the Guardians’ bullpen has been pretty solid this season, which should be able to hold the lead and secure the win for Ceconni if he hands them the ball with the lead.
Lots of factors have to go right for a “to record a win” prop to hit, but I like the chances for Ceconni to return value at these odds.
Quinn Priester over 3.5 strikeouts (+110)
Priester has been a great pickup for the Brewers, and the 24-year-old righty gets the call against the Dodgers on Friday night. Despite the tough matchup, I think he’ll be able to get over this low strikeout total at Dodger Stadium.
In his 12 games, he has a 3.55 ERA, 4.23 FIP, 1.25 WHIP and an 18.8% K%. He has been even better over his last seven games, going 5-0 with a 24.2% K%. He has gone over this strikeout line in six of those seven contests, racking up 38 strikeouts in 38 innings.
Priester will have a tough matchup against the Dodgers, but over the last month, the team ranks 15th in the majors with a 22.3% K%. Even if Priester doesn’t go deep into the game, this strikeout line is low enough to still be a strong play at plus money on Friday night in the late game in Hollywood.
