The NFL may officially be back, but that doesn’t mean you can just forget about baseball. In fact, there may be even more value in the MLB prop betting market as most bettors turn their attention to the gridiron.
Today, we focus on a trio of strikeout totals, including that of the AL MVP betting favorite – Shohei Ohtani, as the Los Angeles Angels visit the Houston Astros.
We break down and pick these games and more with our best free MLB prop bets and predictions for Friday, September 10.
Today’s MLB props and picks
Matthew Boyd Over 4.5 Strikeouts (+105)
Matthew Boyd burst onto the scene for the Detroit Tigers in 2019 and ended the season among the league leaders in strikeouts, punching out 11.6 batters per nine innings. But the lefty has lost his strikeout touch the last two years, with that number dropping to 8.2. Boyd will get a chance to rack up a few more K’s today as he goes up against the free-swinging Tampa Bay Rays.
The Rays have one of the best offenses in baseball. They lead the MLB in scoring while ranking ninth in OPS and sixth in home runs. But they sure have bought into the swing-for-fences mentality because, at the same time, they strike out the second-most in baseball, getting run up 9.66 times per game.
So, Boyd will have a chance to re-find that strikeout magic he once had, and there have been signs of a bounce back. Boyd has 43 strikeouts in his last 43 innings of work and has recorded five or more strikeouts in six of his last nine starts and in each of his first two starts since coming off the IL, despite pitching just four innings in both.
Getting Boyd to go Over 4.5 strikeouts at plus money looks like good value in this one.
Robbie Ray Over 8.5 Strikeouts (+105)
Even a few weeks ago, the idea of Robbie Ray winning the American League Cy Young Award seemed far-fetched. But an incredible run and some opportune injuries have the Toronto Blue Jays lefty as the second favorite to win the award at +150. Ray will try to keep making his case when the Jays visit the Baltimore Orioles tonight.
Ray has been a big part of the Blue Jays' postseason push, pitching to a 1.51 ERA, limiting opponents to a .163 batting average and striking out a ridiculous 13.4 batters per nine innings over his last five starts. That includes seven innings of four-hit, two-run ball while striking out 10 against this same O’s team just back on August 30.
The Jays have needed everything they could get from Ray during this run and it seems like he knew that and has been an absolute workhorse for his team, pitching at least 6 2-3 innings in each of his last five starts.
With Ray striking out at least 10 batters in each of his last four starts, while at the same time being leaned on heavily by the Jays. They're now just a half-game out of a postseason spot, so you know he will get plenty of opportunities to pitch deep into this ball game and rack up those strikeouts.
Shohei Ohtani Over 5.5 Strikeouts (+115)
Want to know how good Shohei Ohtani’s season has been? Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has a chance to win the Triple Crown on a team that is making a serious postseason push and likely won’t get a sniff at the American League MVP award.
Ohtani leads the MLB in home runs and has gotten even better on the mound in the second half of the season. Since the All-star break, Ohtani is pitching to 2.20 ERA, is limiting opponents to a .201 batting average, and has 48 strikeouts compared to just six walks.
Ohtani can put a pretty bow on his MVP season with a strong performance tonight against the AL West-leading Houston Astros.
Ohtani has faced the Astros once this season and, surprise, surprise, he dominated. Ohtani limited the Astros to one run on four hits while striking out 10 back on May 11. He has also recorded six or more strikeouts in six of his seven starts since the All-Star break, which includes striking out six Blue Jays back on August 12, so Ohtani is capable of racking up K’s against teams that don’t strike out a ton.
MLB betting card for September 10
- Matthew Boyd Over 4.5 Strikeouts (+105)
- Robbie Ray Over 8.5 Strikeouts (+105)
- Shohei Ohtani Over 5.5 Strikeouts (+115)
Picks made on 9/10/2021 at 11:30 a.m. ET
MLB parlays
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Use our MLB parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
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