All 30 teams from Major League Baseball are in action on Friday night, and there are some big-name aces scheduled to take the hill. Even though there are a few spots that could produce lots of offense, there are some excellent options to consider backing among Friday’s probable pitchers. The first games of the evening get underway at 6:40 p.m. ET in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, while the final game doesn’t start until 10:05 p.m. ET in Sacramento. Let’s consider the form, matchup and overall outlook of the 30 options toeing the rubber on Friday night and find some starting pitcher prop bets! My three top picks for Friday include plays from Yusei Kikuchi, MacKenzie Gore and Jackson Jobe.
On Wednesday, I went 1-for-3 in my starting pitcher prop bets after a clean sweep of 3-for-3 on Monday. Let’s get back to more wins rolling this Friday!
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.
Best Starting Pitcher Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
MacKenzie Gore to record 8+ strikeouts (+120)
Gore and the Nationals host the Giants in one of the three early games, and I think the big lefty will get over this alternate strikeout total for a win at plus-money odds. If you want a safer play, or are building a parlay, the over 6.5 strikeouts prop at -155 can work, as well.
In his last start in Baltimore, Gore got knocked around, giving up 10 hits in just 3 2/3 innings, but he still got plenty of whiffs, racking up nine strikeouts. It was the first time in MLB history that a pitcher threw fewer than four innings and gave up 10 hits while also totaling at least nine strikeouts. It’s definitely a bizarre stat line, but it shows he continues to have plenty of swing-and-miss stuff.
In his last six starts, Gore has at least eight strikeouts four times, dating back to a masterful outing at Coors Field in which he struck out a season-high 13. The Giants will be a tougher strikeout matchup than the Rockies, for sure, but they do rank in the top 10 in strikeout rate against lefties this season at 24.4%. They also rank second in the majors with a 26.7 strikeout rate on the road, behind only the aforementioned Colorado.
Race to Three Strikeouts: Jackson Jobe Over Slade Cecconi (-125)
Jobe and Cecconi go head-to-head at Comerica Park in this quick-hitter that I like as one of my top starting pitcher prop bets this Friday. Jobe has the home-field advantage of pitching first in each inning, and the 22-year-old seems to be settling in at the MLB level after an early-season adjustment period.
Cecconi had eight strikeouts in five innings in his only start of the season. That outing was against the strikeout-prone Reds, though, and seems to be skewing the odds for this race. In his minor league work to prepare for his debut, Cecconi had 10 strikeouts in 13 innings, and over the last two years, he had 84 strikeouts in 104 innings for the Diamondbacks, indicating there’s a good chance that high strikeout number last week was a little flukey.
Jobe has 12 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings over his last two starts, and he has double-digit whiffs in each of those outings. His stuff has been elite, and he’s starting to grow into his strikeout potential. He has a much higher long-term ceiling than Cecconi; but even in just this sprint to three strikeouts, I think he’ll come out of the box fast enough to get the win in this prop.
Yusei Kikuchi to Record a Win (+170)
The Angels are on a great roll after winning seven straight to sweep the Dodgers and Athletics. Now they’ll come home and give the ball to Kikuchi in their first game against the visiting Marlins.
I highlighted the Halos as one of the best lineups in my top MLB stacks for the day since they’re taking on Sandy Alcantara, who has really struggled this season after missing last year following Tommy John surgery.
Kikuchi should get enough run support to get the win, and he has been pitching well enough lately, although the breaks haven’t gone his way this season. He is still looking for his first win as a member of the Angels, but he has gone five-plus innings in all but one of his 10 starts. Kikuchi has a solid 3.50 ERA on the season and has been even better in May with a 2.38 ERA and just a 1.24 WHIP in 22 2/3 innings this month. He has been in tough matchups against the Dodgers, Padres, Blue Jays and Tigers during that stretch, but has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each start.
The Marlins have definitely shown improvement at the plate this season after being near the bottom of the majors in almost every category last season. However, given how hot the Halos are hitting right now and the matchup against Alcantara, Kikuchi should be set up for his first win with his new team if he can put together another solid workman-like outing this Friday. Getting him at this favorable number makes him one of my top three starting pitcher prop bets, just edging out Pablo Lopez and Matthew Boyd as my top play in the “to record a win” props.
