Monday night’s schedule of Major League Baseball has 24 teams taking the diamonds as 12 new series get underway. In this companion piece to my starting pitcher prop bets, we’re going in search of the best MLB strikeout props from the schedule this Monday. My top three best bets for the night include plays from Mitch Keller, Sonny Gray and Landon Knack.
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Here is a look at my top MLB strikeout props for tonight.
Top MLB Strikeout Props on DraftKings Sportsbook
Mitch Keller over 5.5 strikeouts (-120)
Keller gets a favorable matchup against the Reds in one of the early games as this NL Central showdown series begins in Pittsburgh. Keller is only 1-5 on the season and has lost three straight starts, but his strikeout numbers have been pretty solid.
He has over 5.5 strikeouts in three of his last four starts to raise his rate to 7.4 K/9 with an average of 4.8 strikeouts per start on the season. He had over this number in his last two starts on the road against the Cardinals and Mets, who both have offenses that have been much more potent than the Reds.
Cincy’s bats have been icy cold, and it has the highest team K% in the majors over the last two weeks. The Reds have managed only 3.4 runs per game while striking out 10.4 times per contest over that span. While Keller hasn’t been consistent most of the season, the Reds have been such a great target for strikeout props that Keller is a strong play at this number on Monday.
Sonny Gray Under 5.5 strikeouts (+120)
Gray is taking the mound on Monday night at home against the Tigers after having a rough outing in Philly last week. He allowed eight hits, seven runs and three home runs in 3 2/3 innings during his worst outing of the season.
He had four strikeouts in that game and has been right at that number in four of his last seven outings. He has 36 strikeouts over 39 innings in those seven starts, averaging 5.1 per start.
The Tigers have the seventh-lowest strikeout rate in the majors over the last week, averaging just 7.8 strikeouts per game. They’ve also done a better job at strikeout suppression against righties rather than lefties on the season.
While Gray will be looking for a bounceback outing, the Tigers should be able to make enough contact to keep him under this number in one of my top strikeout props of the night.
Starting Pitcher Race to 3 Strikeouts (Both Pitchers Must Start): Landon Knack over Brandon Pfaadt (-150)
Let’s close out today’s strikeout props with a nice quick-hitter from the final game of the day. Landon Knack of the Dodgers takes on Brandon Pfaadt of the Dbacks in this race to three strikeouts, and he gets the head start of pitching first each inning as the home pitcher.
Knack has a 9.8 K/9 on the season while Pfaadt’s is only 7.8 K/9. Knack has made four starts for the Dodgers and was stretched out to 94 pitches in his last outing. He actually had under three strikeouts in two starts but that was when his pitch count was still limited. He has five strikeouts against the Marlins and eight strikeouts against the Athletics in his two most recent outings. On the year, he has 20 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings.
Pfaadt has 44 strikeouts in his 50 2/3 innings. He only had three strikeouts in four innings in his most recent start, but had 5+ in his previous five outings. While he may be the better option for most strikeouts, I think Knack can beat him to three given his home-field advantage on Monday night.
