MLB Player Props for 9-9: Best Bets for Charlie Morton, Cristopher Sanchez, & Carlos Rodon

Prop bet #1: Charlie Morton Over 5.5 strikeouts 

-105 at BetMGM

Atlanta Braves veteran Charlie Morton has six or more strikeouts in each of his past five starts and sports a solid 9.36 K/9 and 24.5 K% for the campaign, including respective 11.71 and 30.3% marks during the five-start stretch. He also lands in an excellent matchup with the Cincinnati Reds, who sport a 24.9% K-rate that ranks fourth-highest in the league, and Cincy has an even higher 25.4% strikeout rate over the past 30 days. 

Additionally, my MLB picks value Morton’s impressive 3.25 ERA and 3.41 xFIP despite batters having an unsustainably high .354 BABIP over his highlighted past five outings. He posted a 4.47 ERA and 4.09 xFIP with batters sporting a .298 BABIP through his first 21 starts of the season, so the late-season surge is entirely sustainable if the BABIP corrects itself moving forward.

Prop bet #2: Cristopher Sanchez Under 6.5 strikeouts

-154 at BetMGM

The strikeouts have been piling up for Philadelphia Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez across his past three starts with 23 through just 18 2/3 innings. It’s a huge uptick after recording five or fewer in seven of his previous eight outings. 

A big factor has been his swinging-strike percentage skyrocketing from 10.6% through his first 24 starts to 13.9% the past three. Sanchez is also well above his previous career high in innings for a season, and he’s thrown at least 95 pitches in each of his past three starts. 

While it’s a concern that the Tampa Bay Rays are strikeout-happy, they still sport a 10th-ranked .318 wOBA and ninth-ranked .322 on-base percentage against lefties, so this isn’t a layup start. 

Prop bet #3: Carlos Rodon Under 17.5 outs recorded

+125 at Pinnacle

As money as Carlos Rodon has been down the stretch (5-2, 3.18 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across his past eight outings), he hasn’t consistently pitched deep into games. The New York Yankees lefty has recorded 17 or fewer outs in 10 of his past 14 trips to the hill.

Facing the Kansas City Royals won’t be a walk in the park, either. Kansas City sports the third-lowest BABIP (.251) in baseball despite ranking seventh with a 41.9% hard-hit rate over the past two weeks, so I anticipate the KC bats will catch up to Rodon with the wind blowing out at homer-happy Yankee Stadium. 

Additionally, the Royals have the option to slot nine right-handed batters into the lineup to hold the platoon advantage against Rodon. The Yankees southpaw has held left-handed hitters to a tidy .286 wOBA, while righty bats sport a .328 mark, so it’s a notable difference.