There are a handful of aces taking the mound Wednesday, from former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara to Rays All-Star Drew Rasmussen and Cardinals mainstay Matthew Liberatore. Can Alcantara stay reliable in Philadelphia? Will Rasmussen continue his dominant second half? How much longer can Liberatore keep his road hot streak going? 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 19, 2026)
- Philadelphia Phillies vs. Miami Marlins: Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara 5+ strikeouts: Alcantara has gone for 5+ K in 6 of his last 8 starts, as well as both of his outings against the Phillies so far this season.
- Tampa Bay Rays vs. Toronto Blue Jays: Rays RHP Drew Rasmussen 5+ strikeouts: Rasmussen has finished with 5+ K in 4 of his last 5 and 16 of his last 22, on top of reaching that mark in all 3 of his starts against the Blue Jays.
- Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals: Cardinals LHP Matthew Liberatore 6+ strikeouts: Liberatore enters Wednesday having hit 6+ K in 5 of his last 8, which sets him up nicely for a solid showing against MLB’s most strikeout-prone lineup.
MLB Strikeout Prop Bets Breakdown
Sandy Alcantara 5+ K (+113), Philadelphia Phillies vs. Miami Marlins
Alcantara is about as dependable as it comes, pitching into the sixth inning in 18 consecutive starts. He is 10-3 with a 2.45 ERA since the start of June. The former Cy Young winner has reached at least five strikeouts in 10 of his 14 appearances over that stretch, as well as six of his last eight. Philadelphia strikes out an average of 8.50 times per game, which puts them right around the middle of the pack across MLB. Alcantara has seen them twice already this season, though, striking out six in Philadelphia and five in Miami.
Drew Rasmussen 5+ K (-158), Tampa Bay Rays vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Rasmussen has settled back in coming out of the All-Star break – he allowed 11 earned runs in his first two starts of July, but just four in his five outings since. The Rays have also won all five of those games with Rasmussen posting a 1.20 ERA and 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings over that stretch. He has gone for five-plus strikeouts in four of his last five and 16 of his last 22. And in each of his three starts against the Blue Jays this season, Rasmussen has hit the five-strikeout threshold.
Matthew Liberatore 6+ K (-117), Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Liberatore has recorded six-plus strikeouts in four of his last six and five of his last eight appearances. A few of those hits have come against some pretty tough matchups, including two against the Braves and one against the Blue Jays. While Toronto averages the second-fewest strikeouts per game in MLB and Atlanta averages the eighth-fewest, Cincinnati averages the most. Three of the last five starters to face the Reds have recorded at least six strikeouts. Liberatore has also hit six strikeouts in four of his last five road starts – again, two of which came against the Braves and Blue Jays.
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 Wednesday 8/19/26
- MLB DFS Picks Today: Top DraftKings Targets, Values for Wednesday 8/19/26
- MLB NRFI Tracker
Good luck with your MLB prop bets today!
