On Saturday, Major League Baseball has 11 games under the lights with most of the games starting just after 7:00 p.m. ET. There are some fun matchups all across the board, including some aces taking the mound. Several strong starting pitcher prop bets stand out as strong plays on DraftKings Sportsbook. From Saturday night’s slate, I’ve selected my favorite starting pitcher props on the board, which are from the Athletics’ Jacob Lopez, the Mariners’ Kade Anderson, and the Dodgers’ Tarik Skubal.
- Jacob Lopez over 15.5 Outs Recorded (-109): Lopez has turned around his season after a rough start. He has worked over this prop line in three of his last four starts and put together a 2.36 ERA, 3.64 FIP and 39 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings over his last seven starts.
- Kade Anderson 6+ Strikeouts (-108): Anderson has been absolutely dominant at Double-A and has the stuff to translate some of that strikeout success to his MLB debut against the Cubs.
- Tarik Skubal over 4.5 Hits Allowed (+114): Skubal has allowed 4.5 hits per outing over his last 12 starts and went over this prop with seven hits against him in his last start. The Pirates had 8 hits on Friday and have averaged 8.0 hits over their last 12 games. Getting just about a hit an inning gives them a strong chance to push over this prop, which is great value at plus-money.
In almost every MLB contest, starting pitching is key to deciding how the matchup will play out. DraftKings Sportsbook offers plenty of different varieties of SP prop bets, so let’s survey the field and find some fun ones to target this Saturday night.
Top MLB SP Props
Jacob Lopez over 15.5 Outs Recorded (-109)
I highlighted Lopez as my favorite value starting pitcher in today’s top MLB DFS value picks, and I’m also using him as one of the top options in my starting pitcher prop bets. The 28-year-old lefty has gone over this prop line in three of his last four starts and has been very effective over his last seven starts, compiling a 2.36 ERA, 3.64 FIP and 39 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings.
He began the year in the bullpen but has worked back to being a regular starter, throwing 93 pitches in seven innings against the Rays and 93 pitches in six innings against the Rangers in his two most recent starts. With 90+ pitches in four of his last five games, he’s being counted on to work deep into matchups, and he has been doing so effectively since returning to the MLB roster in early July.
Lopez only lasted 4 1/3 innings in his first start this year against Houston, but his recent success and the fact that he’s on the strong side of the splits against the Astros, who can sometimes struggle against lefties, makes him a solid play to get at least one out in the sixth inning and get over this outs recorded prop at Daikin Park.
Kade Anderson 6+ Strikeouts (-108)
One of the most exciting starting pitchers to watch on Saturday night will be 22-year-old lefty Kade Anderson, who will be making his MLB debut for the Mariners as they host the Cubs at T-Mobile Park. Anderson is viewed as the top pitching prospect in baseball, and he has been dominant in Double-A for the Arkansas Travelers.
After being the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of LSU, Anderson went 10-1 in his 18 starts in the minors, racking up an impressive 135 strikeouts in 93 1/3 innings. His 40.5% K% is likely unsustainable at the MLB level, but his excellent location and impressive movement should keep him getting plenty of swings and misses. Anderson doesn’t rely on an overpowering fastball to blow opponents away, but his pitch sequencing and usage result in plenty of strikeouts.
The Cubs will be a tough matchup for his debut, but this prop of 6+ strikeouts at almost even-money bakes that risk in. While they have hit lefties very well this season, they do have a 21.8% K% against southpaws, so Anderson should be able to find enough strikeouts to get over this prop, even if they do reach him for a few runs.
Anderson has worked 5+ innings in nine of his last 10 starts and has gone over this prop line in 10 of his last 11 while facing Double-A hitters. Obviously, this is a huge step up in competition level, but if he can translate his success to the majors, he could be one of the most exciting young pitchers to watch the rest of the season.
Tarik Skubal over 4.5 Hits Allowed (+114)
Skubal hasn’t looked quite at full strength since returning from injury and being traded to the Dodgers. He has gone 4-5 in his 12 starts since the start of June with a 2.94 ERA and 3.14 FIP. He has still been very effective, but just hasn’t been quite as dominant. In those 12 starts, he has allowed a total of 54 hits for an average of exactly 4.5 hits per outing.
In his last start, he allowed seven hits to the Brewers while still pitching effectively and allowing just one earned run in six innings. Before that he allowed exactly four hits in four straight starts, coming in just under this prop. If he works deeper into the game, it actually increases the likelihood that the Pirates get to him for at least five hits.
The Pirates have struck out a lot against lefties, which is why I’m avoiding Skubal’s elevated strikeout props. They had eight hits in their loss on Friday night and have averaged 7.8 hits per game in their 33 games since the All-Star break and 8.0 hits per game in their 12 games in the last two weeks.
This prop is very well set at 4.5 hits, but it seems like a coin-flip pick, making the plus-money odds very attractive. The Pirates have been playing well enough to like the possibility at these odds that they get at least five hits off Skubal, whether he piles up strikeouts against them or not.
If you are looking to be more aggressive on Saturday’s starting pitcher prop bets, you can combine the three picks in this prop to a parlay that boosts the odds to a solid +683. Whether you play them as singles, a parlay or in a round robin format, these props are strong plays for Saturday night.
