The San Diego Padres downed the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 last night to start their series at Petco Park. Tonight, they run it back again but with star pitcher Dylan Cease on the bump, which gives him a massive advantage heading into the battle between NL franchises.
Here’s the top Dylan Cease prop bet for the Saturday night Padres vs. Pirates showdown.
Dylan Cease 8+ Strikeouts (+120)
Cease started the year a bit rough, so his 4.58 ERA and 1.25 WHIP on the season don’t look very impressive given his star-level talent. Here’s the thing, though. Over the last seven games, the 29-year-old has come online and started to find the form of an ace as in years past. In that span, he has a 3.49 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 48 punchouts in 28.2 innings.
He’s also posting a high K/9 of 10.98, and while he certainly won’t go for a full game, he’s above average in this regard.
The Pirates are mostly devoid of batting talent, hitting just .226 as a team with a .640 OPS. They strike out the sixth-most of any MLB franchise, as well, which means we’re targeting this vulnerable lineup tonight.
Cease has recorded 8+ strikeouts in three of his last four outings. Against this Pirates lineup, it looks like he may very well exceed the mark once again, which is why his alt line of 8+ Ks presents great value at +120 odds. He’s very capable of fanning plenty of hitters, so the plus-odds give me plenty of reason to take the line in game two of this series tonight.
