There are a handful of aces taking the mound Friday, from Braves deadline addition Tyler Mahle to Red Sox rookie Payton Tolle and White Sox lefty Noah Schultz. How will Mahle look in his Atlanta debut? Can Tolle stay hot for the surging Sox? Will Schultz be able to put his spotty July behind him? 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 (August 7, 2026)
- New York Yankees vs. Atlanta Braves: Braves RHP Tyler Mahle under 5.5 strikeouts: Before notching 9 K in his final outing with SFG, Mahle had gone under 5.5 K in 7 straight starts and now faces a NYY lineup that has held starters under that mark in 3 straight.
- Boston Red Sox vs. Athletics: Red Sox LHP Payton Tolle 7+ strikeouts: Tolle has hit 7+ K in 4 straight starts, including his outing at the A’s on July 27, which bodes well for the rematch at Fenway Park, where the southpaw averages 11.9 K/9 for his career.
- Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians: White Sox LHP Noah Schultz 4+ strikeouts: For all of his struggles this season, Schultz has still posted 4+ K in 3 of his last 4 overall and 4 of his 6 at home, all while CLE has allowed 5 straight opposing starters to reach that mark.
MLB Strikeout Prop Bets Breakdown
Tyler Mahle under 5.5 K (-119), New York Yankees vs. Atlanta Braves
Mahle was one of Atlanta’s most notable additions at the trade deadline, coming off an up-and-down half season with San Francisco. He capped off his Giants tenure with a nine-strikeout showing at the Padres, although he did still allow five earned runs in 5.2 innings of work. Before that, Mahle had come in under 5.5 strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. The Yankees did not allow a starter to go over 5.5 strikeouts in any of their three games against the Cardinals this week, plus they average 1.16 fewer strikeouts per game at home than they do on the road. Nine of the last 12 starting pitchers to visit Yankee Stadium have finished with fewer than 5.5 strikeouts.
Payton Tolle 7+ K (-128), Boston Red Sox vs. Athletics
Tolle has reached at least seven strikeouts in four straight games, bringing him to an even 9-for-18 on the season. Since June 26, Tolle has hit that mark in five of seven appearances, all while Boston has gone 6-1 in his starts. He is sitting at 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings in 2026, picking up on his 10.5 mark from his limited big league action in 2025, his 10.5 career college rate and his 12.8 career minor league average. Tolle has gone for seven-plus strikeouts in five of his nine home starts, plus his 11.9 K/9 at Fenway dwarfs his 8.0 mark elsewhere. He already struck out seven in 5.2 innings at the Athletics on July 27, and now the A’s are coming to Boston. The Athletics strike out 8.64 times per game on average, which is good for the ninth-highest mark in MLB.
Noah Schultz 4+ K (-132), Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians
Schultz has posted four-plus strikeouts in three of his last four, four of his last six, five of his last eight and eight of his 14 total starts this season. Looking just at his six home appearances, Schultz has reached at least four on four occasions, never dipping below three. That is a pretty promising floor, compared to Friday’s line. Schultz’s strikeout production is highly correlated to his overall performance, since he hasn’t reached four strikeouts in any of his four starts that featured four or more earned runs. When he allows three or fewer earned runs, though, he hits four-plus strikeouts at an 8-for-10 clip. Cleveland ranks in the dead middle of MLB in strikeouts per game, but they have struck out 33 times across their last three contests. Five straight starters have gone for four-plus strikeouts against the Guardians, too.
More MLB Betting Content & Picks
Check out more MLB betting content and player props throughout the season on DraftKings Network.
- MLB DFS Picks: Starting Pitcher Rankings for Friday 8/7/26
- Best MLB Parlays Today: Top Picks for Friday, August 7
- MLB NRFI Tracker
Good luck with your MLB prop bets today!
