While it isn’t a standard layout, Saturday is still a full slate with all 30 teams in action at some point throughout the day. The standalone spotlight game is the MLB Speedway Classic in Bristol, but seven games are scheduled for a wave at 4:00 p.m. ET and three games after that matchup at just after 10:00 p.m. ET. Check out all the probable pitchers ready to take the mound in all those contests, with plenty of different ways to attack the betting options on DraftKings Sportsbook. After breaking down the matchups and current form, my top starting pitcher prop bets for Friday are from Brandon Woodruff, Chase Burns and J.T. Ginn.
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I highlighted Woodruff’s impressive comeback in my MLB DFS targets earlier today, and he should be able to get over this strikeout line on Saturday afternoon in Washington. Woodruff is a good DFS play, but I also like his strikeout ladder on Saturday afternoon, and you can play him at +150 to get to 7+ strikeouts, +310 to get to eight strikeouts, or even stretch to +1400 to get to 10+ strikeouts.
Woodruff has 29 strikeouts in his 22 1/3 innings in four games this year. He has averaged 7.25 strikeouts per game in his four starts, and his best total was in this same matchup against the Nationals, when he racked up 10 strikeouts in just 4 1/3 innings against the Nats at home in Milwaukee.
In this rematch, he’ll be on the road, but I still think he should be able to comfortably go over this strikeout line. He has at least six strikeouts in three of his four starts, with only five strikeouts against the Mariners as the only time he fell short.
He should be in a favorable spot for strikeouts since the Nationals have the third-highest strikeout rate in the majors over the last week at 26.9%. They are averaging 10.7 strikeouts per game over that span, so Woodruff should be able to find the K’s he needs to go over and climb his strikeout ladder on Saturday.
Burns is another pitcher who I like to go over his strikeout line on Saturday night in my starting pitcher prop bets. The 22-year-old righty has been inconsistent in his first several outings, but the one thing he has delivered is plenty of strikeouts.
He has gone over this strikeout line in four of his six outings, with exactly 10 strikeouts in each of his last three games. He has given up 11 runs in those three games, but his 30 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings is a good sign that he can go over this prop on Saturday.
Burns is still looking for his first MLB win as he takes the mound against the Braves in the MLB Speedway Classic. Double-check that the weather is clear enough for him to get in his full workload, but if he does, he should be able to shine in front of the largest crowd in MLB history.
He catches the Braves at a good time without Ronald Acuna Jr. The team also has the third-most strikeouts in the majors over the last two weeks, averaging 9.4 strikeouts per game over its last 13 contests.
For my third and final play in my starting pitcher prop bets this Saturday, I’m taking a little bit of a long shot on J.T. Ginn of the Athletics as he takes the mound in Sacramento against the Diamondbacks. Ginn will be making his seventh start of the season, and he has also been successful out of the bullpen.
The fact that he has served in multiple roles may camouflage that he can actually pitch pretty deep into games in the right scenario. He went five and six innings in his two starts since returning to the rotation, throwing 58 pitches in five innings against the Rangers and then 77 pitches in six innings against the Astros.
Both those starts were on the road, and Ginn did a great job limiting hard contact and getting ground ball outs. He can work very efficiently when he’s at his best. Over his last nine major league appearances, Ginn has a 2.73 ERA, a 3.25 FIP and just a 40% hard-hit rate against him.
In his last start, Ginn worked six full innings against the Astros, and he’ll need to get through 5 1/3 to get over this outs recorded line on Saturday. He gets a favorable matchup to attack against the Diamondbacks, who traded away several hitters at the deadline and are going with a younger, lighter-hitting lineup. Arizona has scored two runs or fewer in seven straight games and is averaging just 1.4 runs per game over its last 10 contests.
Ginn should be able to hold the Dbacks in check on Saturday and get through more than 5 1/3 innings. If you’re feeling confident in the A’s lineup against the struggling Zac Gallen, you can also take Ginn to get the win at +235 as a late-night flier play from the starting pitcher prop bets.
