Today's Top MLB Pitchers Strikeouts Prop Bets: 5 picks, including Paul Skenes, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and more for August 18, 2025

Monday’s MLB slate brings plenty of strikeout intrigue, featuring pitchers with high upside and contrasting styles. Young guns like Paul Skenes and Cade Horton look to keep racking up swings and misses, while Trevor Rogers offers steady reliability against a disciplined Red Sox lineup.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto faces a Rockies team that can be vulnerable to strikeouts, while Jack Flaherty aims to bounce back in a tough matchup with Houston. Today’s picks blend bold opportunities with safer plays, giving bettors a well-rounded set of strikeout options to target.

Note: Odds are set by DraftKings Sportsbook and are subject to change. No outcome can be guaranteed when betting on sports.

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Today's Top Five MLB Pitchers Strikeouts Prop Bets

#5 Paul Skenes: Under 6.5 Ks (-155)

Despite his electric MLB campaign with a 2.13 ERA and elite 0.96 WHIP, Paul Skenes hasn’t been piling up strikeouts as consistently in recent weeks. He’s sitting at an impressive 10.1 K/9 across 148 innings, but his last start against Milwaukee saw him labor through four innings with only as many strikeouts.

The Blue Jays present a tricky opponent, ranking among the tougher MLB teams in the AL to strike out, especially against high-velocity right-handers.

While Skenes has the raw stuff to blow past this number on his best day, recent trends suggest efficiency and contact over strikeout dominance. The under at 6.5 feels like the sharper side here.

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#4 Jack Flaherty: Under 6.5 Ks (-155)

Flaherty’s MLB season has been a rollercoaster, carrying a 4.76 ERA with 20 home runs allowed over 124.2 innings. He maintains a strong 11.0 K/9, but inconsistency has been his biggest obstacle. In his last outing against the White Sox, he struck out six, but gave up five runs in just 4.1 innings.

Now, he draws an Astros lineup that is one of the toughest in baseball to strike out, ranking near the bottom of the league in K-rate against right-handed pitching.

With Houston’s contact-heavy approach, Flaherty may struggle to rack up enough whiffs to clear this number. The under at 6.5 is the safer lean here.

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#3 Cade Horton: Over 3.5 Ks (-145)

Horton has quietly been one of the Cubs’ most reliable young arms, posting a 3.07 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 85 MLB innings. While his overall K-rate isn’t elite (7.1 K/9), he’s shown flashes of upside, including an eight-strikeout gem against Toronto in his last start.

The Brewers are a much friendlier matchup for strikeouts when facing right-handers.

With his recent form and a modest line set at just 3.5, Horton doesn’t need to dominate to clear this prop. Even five solid innings with average whiff efficiency should be enough to get him over the number.

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#2 Trevor Rogers: Under 5.5 Ks (-160) (Safest Pick of the Day)

Rogers has been brilliant in 2025, carrying a 1.43 ERA and 0.81 WHIP across 69.1 innings. He pounds the zone, keeps the ball in the yard and rarely gets struck, but his strikeout numbers have stayed modest at 7.8 K/9.

While he fanned six Mariners in his last MLB outing, the Red Sox present a tougher test, ranking near the bottom of the AL in strikeouts against left-handers.

Given his efficient, contact-oriented style, Rogers is far more likely to pitch to weak contact than rack up whiffs. At a fairly high line of 5.5, the under looks like the most reliable play on the board.

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#1 Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Over 6.5 Ks (+100) (Bold Prediction of the Day)

Yamamoto comes into this start with a strong 10.3 K/9 and 145 strikeouts in 126.2 innings, proving he can consistently generate swing-and-miss stuff.

While he struggled badly against the Angels last time out, walking five and allowing six runs in under five innings, the MLB matchup with Colorado sets up much more favorably.

The Rockies lineup has been among the weakest on the road all season, carrying one of the highest strikeout rates in the league away from Coors Field. Yamamoto’s command has been inconsistent. But when he’s locked in, he has the arsenal to blow past this number. At plus money, this is a high-upside play worth targeting.