Racking up strikeouts is one metric that tells people how well a pitcher performed. If they got a lot of strikeouts, they didn't require their defense to make as many plays and they likely had a good outing. That idea has also become a rather popular prop bet for MLB gamblers. An over/under line is set, and bettors must decide whether or not the pitcher can reach it. Here are today's best bets:
Best MLB strikeout prop bets for July 7
#5) Tarik Skubal Under 7.5: -130
Tarik Skubal is one of MLB's best pitchers and a strikeout machine. Ordinarily, he'd be a good bet to go over whatever line he was given, but the Detroit Tigers ace was given a difficult line today. Getting eight strikeouts is not impossible, but it's a tough bet to take.
#4) Grayson Rodriguez Over 6.5: -130
Grayson Rodriguez has been very good for the Baltimore Orioles. He strikes out 26.2% of the batters he faces, averaging almost 10 strikeouts for every nine innings pitched. He's a good bet to get seven today.
#3) Dylan Cease Under 6.5: -115
Dylan Cease's odds are very tough today. He's -115 to finish with six or fewer strikeouts, but he's -110 to finish with more. The San Diego Padres ace's odds are only marginally better than those that he finishes with less, but seven is a difficult mark to hit in any game.
#2) Nathan Eovaldi Over 5.5: -155
The odds that Nathan Eovaldi hits six strikeouts or more are very high. He averages exactly one strikeout per inning pitched and has a K rate of 24.8%. He's very likely to pitch at least six innings and pass the over/under line.
#1) Luis Gil Under 6.5: -145
Luis Gil was once a dominant pitcher who racked up strikeouts. It was likely he would pass six and a half with ease in most outings, but he's hit the wall recently. He hasn't struck out very many, he has walked a lot of batters, and he's been giving up a lot of runs. He may not last long enough in the game to get to seven strikeouts tonight for the New York Yankees.