There are a handful of aces taking the mound Friday, from Pirates rookie Bubba Chandler, Mets veteran Robert Stock and Padres righty Michael King. Can Chandler keep up his red-hot start to August? Which version of Stock will show up in New York? How will King look fresh off his 11th quality start of the season? 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 14, 2026)
- Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Boston Red Sox: Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler 5+ strikeouts: Chandler has gone for 5+ K in 4 of his last 5 starts, plus he gets to face a Red Sox lineup that strikes out more on the road than they do at home.
- New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals: Mets RHP Robert Stock 4+ strikeouts: Stock has posted 4 K in both of his appearances since joining NYM’s rotation, regardless of how clean each outing was, while WAS is pretty strikeout prone on the road.
- Cleveland Guardians vs. San Diego Padres: Padres RHP Michael King 5+ strikeouts: King has recorded 5+ K in 4 straight and 7 of his last 9 starts, never throwing fewer than 4 in that span, heading into a matchup with a CLE lineup he has historically dominated.
MLB Strikeout Prop Bets Breakdown
Bubba Chandler 5+ K (+119), Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Boston Red Sox
Chandler has notched five-plus strikeouts in four of his last five starts, with the lone miss coming against a Diamondbacks lineup that averages the second-fewest strikeouts per game in MLB. Over that span, Chandler is 2-0 with a 2.36 ERA, 2.41 FIP and 1.163 WHIP. The rookie gets to face a Boston lineup that is averaging 3.5 runs per game since last Friday. The Red Sox rank No. 13 in strikeouts per game, so not quite as disciplined as the D-backs squad that gave Chandler trouble. They are much more similar in that regard to the Brewers and Mets lineups – which rank No. 16 and No. 17 in that category – that Chandler forced into six, five and five strikeouts over the past month. The Red Sox also average 8.56 strikeouts per game on the road compared to their 7.75 mark at home.
Robert Stock 4+ K (-156), New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals
Stock hasn’t gotten a tone of run support since joining the Mets’ rotation earlier this month. New York scored a grand total of zero runs in the 36-year-old’s two appearances. Stock did his best to keep the Mets in it during his team debut on August 2, holding the Marlins to one run in 5.0 innings in Queens, but the Pirates racked up eight runs in 3.0 innings when they faced Stock on August 8. Despite the vastly different performances, Stock posted exactly four strikeouts in both of them. Miami averages 8.56 strikeouts per road game, while Pittsburgh averages 8.57 strikeouts per road game, so Stock got to face very similar opposition in that regard. Now he gets to take on the Nationals, who average 8.90 strikeouts per game on the road.
Michael King 5+ K (+139), Cleveland Guardians vs. San Diego Padres
King has gone for at least five strikeouts in four straight starts, as well as seven of his last nine. His two unders during that stretch were both still four-strikeout showings, giving him a pretty high floor. Those performances also came against Arizona and Kansas City, two teams that rank No. 2 and No. 7 when it comes to limiting strikeouts per game, respectively. King is coming off a six-strikeout performance against the Astros, who rank No. 9 on that list, whereas Cleveland is No. 14. The 31-year-old righty started 2026 on a 9-for-10 tear for the five-plus strikeout bet, leaving him at a pretty dependable 16-for-24 midway through August. He also went for six and 11 strikeouts in his last two showdowns with the Guardians in 2024 and 2025.
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 8/14/26
- MLB Best Bets Today: Top NRFI props for Friday 8/14/26
- MLB NRFI Tracker
Good luck with your MLB prop bets today!
