All 30 Major League Baseball teams are in action Saturday as Rivalry Weekend rolls on. As we look at the 20 teams in action in the evening under the lights, let’s find some strong starting pitcher prop bets in Friday night’s slate. My top three plays for the night include plays from Slade Cecconi, Noah Cameron and Pablo Lopez.
Every day of the season, DraftKings Sportsbook offers multiple ways to get in on the action with player props, Moneylines and picks against the spread from each MLB contest. You can also pick series winners, award winners and team futures as well, so be sure to check out all the options available on the MLB page of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Here is a look at my top starting pitcher prop bets for this Saturday night.
Best Starting Pitcher Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Slade Cecconi 3+ earned runs allowed (+115)
Cecconi will be making his first start of the season for the Guardians in a favorable spot against the Reds, who have struggled lately. I think they’ll be able to bounce back at home in hitter-friendly conditions and score at least three runs against Cecconi.
Last year with Arizona, Cecconi made 13 starts and allowed three or more runs in over half of those starts, including eight of his last 11 before moving to the bullpen. In his starts, he posted a 6.14 ERA and 4.70 FIP with just a 7.2 K/9.
Cecconi made three rehab starts and gave up multiple runs in each of his three outings while compiling a 4.85 ERA, 2.46 FIP and 6.9 K/9. He’ll face even tougher competition from the Cincinnati lineup, who has bounced back with 12 runs in their last two games after struggling early in the past week. The Reds are streaky and struggle against elite pitching, but they should be able to rough up Cecconi, especially at Great American Ball Park with the wind blowing out on a warm night.
Noah Cameron over 15.5 outs recorded (+120)
The Royals had to put multiple starting pitchers on the injured list on Saturday, so they’ll look to Cameron to make meaningful contributions for a while.
The 25-year-old lefty made one start earlier this season for the Royals and impressed with 6 1/3 shutout innings against the Rays. He allowed just one hit and recorded 19 outs even though he issued five walks to go with three strikeouts.
He made two starts in Triple-A since then, recording 15 and 16 outs while giving up four runs in 10 1/3 innings to bring his ERA to 3.31 at Triple-A with a 4.18 FIP.
The lefty only has to go 5 1/3 innings to hit the over, which is why it’s one of my favorite starting pitcher prop bets of the night. He showed plenty of potential in that first start to make this a great number.
He does have a tough matchup against the Cardinals, who have been rolling lately, which is why I’m targeting his outs recorded and not another way to back Cameron. While the Cards have been heating up lately, they have struggled at times this year against left-handed pitchers.
Starting Pitcher Race to 3 Strikeouts (Both Pitchers Must Start) Pablo Lopez over Tobias Myers (-135)
I like the over on Lopez to record 6+ strikeouts, but this actually feels safer and comes at more favorable odds, so let’s round out Saturday’s starting pitcher prop bets with this quick-hitter.
Lopez has at least six strikeouts in each of his four outings since returning from the IL. He has totaled 29 punchouts in 22 1/3 innings for a 11.7 K/9. Myers started four games and appeared in another out of the bullpen for the Brewers this season, but he has a very low 6.0 K/9. He reached three strikeouts in his last start against the Rays, but did not ever reach three strikeouts in three of his previous four outings.
Lopez also gets a good matchup against the Brewers, who have the third-highest K% in the majors in the last two weeks. The Twins are also strikeout prone, but not as bad as the Brewers have been lately.
The important thing to remember with this rach to 3 strikeouts quick hitters is that the home team pitcher gets to pitch first in each inning, which is a significant advantage. However, Lopez should have enough juice in his factor to overcome that disadvantage and win this race on Saturday in Milwaukee.
