MLB Props: Betting on How Many Strikeouts a Pitcher Will Have

Too often, proposition bets are looked at as not worth the time of a serious bettor. In baseball, there are simply too many prop bets that offer great value. It’s hard to overlook that.

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Baseball is built on individual accomplishments. The more home runs an individual player hits, the more chances his team has to win. The same is true for pitching. Pitchers that strikeout more batters usually give their teams more chances to win games.

One of the baseball prop bets you should consider is a pitcher’s total strikeouts in a game. Here’s a look at a few examples and how you can win more of these bets.

Pitchers Total Strikeouts Prop Bet Explained

The pitchers total strikeouts bet is simply an Over/Under bet. Bettors wager on whether the pitcher’s strikeout total will go Over or Under the set total. Let’s take a look at an example. We’ll say the Philadelphia Phillies are playing the Washington Nationals.

Corbin (WAS) Total Ks O 5.5 (-120)

Corbin (WAS) Total Ks U 5.5 (-120)

Here, the total for the Washington pitcher is set at 5.5. A $120 bet on Corbin to strike out at least six batters will win $100 if he does. Here are the odds for the Philadelphia pitcher.

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Eflin (PHI) Total Ks O 4.5 (-180)

Eflin (PHI) Total Ks U 4.5 (+114)

Notice the difference in odds. Here, a bettor could wager $100 on Eflin to throw four or fewer strikeouts. If he does, the payout is $114. That could be a real value bet.

The total strikeouts bet is easy enough to make, but how do sports bettors win more of them?

Tips to Win the Strikeouts Prop Bet

When you first look at this bet, the natural inclination is to automatically start thinking about pitchers. You open some statistics and find out which pitchers lead the majors in strikeouts and think about starting there. That would be the wrong approach.

First, you will probably want to lean more toward the National League with this prop bet. Remember, the pitcher hits in the NL and hits in an interleague game in an NL ballpark. Pitchers are notoriously bad hitters, so you have the opportunity for additional strikeouts.

Another thing to look at first is the injury report. If a team is missing a star hitter, the advantage goes to the pitcher. Maybe a team is resting a starter or two. The backups for these players are typically not as good a hitter as the starter (otherwise they would be the starter). Again, this is a situation that favors the pitcher.

Pay attention to the timing of games too. A day game on the day after a night game is tough on players, especially hitters. A starting pitcher will have had the night off before facing hitters who just played hours earlier.

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Finally, you can always look at stats such as a pitcher’s strikeout rate versus an opponent’s strikeout rate. There are teams that strikeout a lot more than others. You may find a pitcher worth backing when pitching against one of these teams.

The bottom line is to simply not just think pitchers when betting this prop. Do your homework, find the bets that offer value, and win more.

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