There are a handful of aces taking the mound Friday, including former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcántara, Tigers veteran Jack Flaherty and Astros rookie Tatsuya Imai. Can Alcántara continue his hot start to June? Will Flaherty keep up his career-best strikeout production? Which version of Imai will we get in Kansas City? Here is our full breakdown of where we think each starting pitcher will wind up in the strikeout column.
Best MLB Strikeout Prop Bets Today (June 12, 2026)
- Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Miami Marlins: Marlins RHP Sandy Alcántara 5+ strikeouts: Alcántara is set to face MLB’s third-most strikeout-prone lineup riding a hot streak that has weathered road environments against far stiffer competition.
- Cleveland Guardians vs. Detroit Tigers: Tigers RHP Jack Flaherty 5+ strikeouts: Flaherty is riding a streak of four straight starts with 5+ K, giving him a career-best strikeout rate despite an otherwise spotty campaign on the mound, plus he is 7-for-10 in hitting that mark in his career vs. CLE.
- Kansas City Royals vs. Houston Astros: Astros RHP Tatsuya Imai 5+ strikeouts: Imai has struck out 5+ K in 3 of his last 4 starts, hitting that mark in 4-of-5 starts that have gone into the 5th inning, while the Royals have allowed opposing starters to record that many strikeouts in 3 of their last 5.
MLB Strikeout Prop Bets Breakdown
Sandy Alcántara 5+ K (-106), Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Miami Marlins
Alcántara’s 6.4 strikeouts per nine innings is a career-low, thanks in part to his extended strikeout lull between April 12 and May 26. He made nine starts in that span and only reached five punchouts twice, all while he posted a 6.53 ERA. Bookending that down period, however, are three hits to open the season and back-to-back starts with five-plus strikeouts to start June. His ERA across those two periods is 1.41, with all five of those starts lasting at least 7.0 frames. Going against the Pirates, who rank third in strikeouts per game, Alcántara has a shot to stay hot. Alcántara has reached five strikeouts in two of his last three road starts, and his lone failure from that sample was a four-strikeout showing against MLB’s least strikeout-prone team in the Blue Jays. He has faced one other bottom-three strikeout lineup in the Reds, and he struck out six when he took them on in April.
Jack Flaherty 5+ K (-147), Cleveland Guardians vs. Detroit Tigers
Through 14 starts, Flaherty is averaging a career-high 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings this season. His 5.31 ERA, on the other hand, is on pace to be his highest since his debut campaign back in 2017. Still, Flaherty has gone for five or more strikeouts in four straight starts, as well as five of his last seven and eight of 14 on the whole this year. When Flaherty completes 5.0 innings, he has reached at least five punchouts in six of seven chances. He also notched four, six and eight strikeouts in his three appearances against Cleveland in 2025. Over the course of his career, Flaherty has hit five-plus strikeouts in seven of his 10 starts against the Guardians. And while Cleveland strikes out the fifth-fewest times per game across the big leagues this season, their bottom-six OPS+ could give Flaherty the runway he needs to record a fifth strikeout.
Tatsuya Imai 5+ K (-110), Kansas City Royals vs. Houston Astros
Imai has tossed five or more strikeouts in half of his eight starts this season, but three of his last four. When Imai has lasted into the fifth inning, he is 4-for-5 when it comes to reaching five-plus strikeouts. When he fails to last that long, he is 0-for-3. And while he has a 5.24 ERA, Imai’s FIP is sitting at . His 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings is also in line with his 8.7 career strikeouts per nine innings back in Japan. As for his matchup on Friday, the Royals average the eighth-fewest strikeouts per game. Imai only needed 4.2 innings to punch out five against the Brewers, however, and they average just 0.08 more strikeouts per game. Kansas City boasts a below-average 96 OPS+, so Imai could very well last long enough to rack up a decent number of strikeouts. Their team strikeout rate is 1.1% higher versus righties than lefties, plus Carter Jensen, Jac Caglianone, Isaac Collins, Kameron Misner, Tyler Tolbert and Starling Marte all have strikeout rates over 26%.
More MLB Betting Content & Picks
Check out more MLB betting content and player props throughout the season on DraftKings Network.
- MLB NRFI Tracker
- MLB Grand Slam Payout: How the DraftKings Grand Slam Promo Works
- MLB DFS Picks: Starting Pitcher Rankings for Friday 6/12/26
Good luck with your MLB prop bets today!
