With only four games on tap, Monday’s slate is one of the smallest of the entire marathon baseball season. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some interesting player prop bets out there with several aces toeing the rubber for potentially the final time in the regular season.
Blake Snell, Padres LHP: 7.5 strikeouts – Over (Underdog & PrizePicks)
The NL Cy Young Award front-runner faces a struggling Giants’ lineup in his penultimate start of the season. The 30-year-old southpaw has notched at least eight strikeouts in eight of his last 10 starts since July 30 and is facing a San Francisco lineup that lacks a ton of right-handed pop besides Wilmer Flores.
Luis Castillo, Mariners RHP: 6.0 strikeouts -- Under (PrizePicks)
Castillo faced the Astros on May 5 and July 7, with only eight punch outs in 14 innings. The 30-year-old right-hander has eclipsed eight strikeouts in three consecutive outings and is making arguably his most important start of the season. But Houston's lineup is stellar against right-handed pitching and is one of the least strikeout-prone units in baseball. Castillo likley will pitch well, but his track record tells us he won't miss a ton of bats in this matchup.
Justin Verlander, Astros RHP: 6.5 strikeouts – Over (Underdog & PrizePicks)
Verlander faces the Mariners for the first time this season as the clubs continue to jostle for a postseason berth. The 40-year-old right-hander has eclipsed seven strikeouts in just four of nine outings since returning to Houston at the trade deadline, but Seattle has the second-most Ks in MLB. Verlander’s ability to consistently work deep into games, combined with the Mariners’ strikeout propensity, gives him a real shot at reaching this lofty number.
Logan Webb, Giants RHP: 4.5 strikeouts – Over (Underdog & PrizePicks)
The Giants are technically still alive in the Wild Card picture, but they’ll need Webb to come through against the Padres. San Diego’s star-studded lineup doesn’t strike out a ton, and Webb isn’t known for missing a ton of bats, but he’s certainly capable of reaching at least five in his most important outing of the year.
Patrick Sandoval, Angels LHP: 2.5 earned runs allowed – Over (Underdog)
Sandoval has been one of the unluckiest pitchers from a run-prevention standpoint and faces a scary Rangers lineup. The 26-year-old southpaw has given up at least five runs in three of his last four outings and will contend with several challenging right-handed sluggers, including Marcus Semien, Adolis García, Josh Jung and Mitch Garver. It's an extremely tough matchup, especially with Texas desperately needing a W to maintain their AL West lead, so fantasy managers should expect them to come out and do some damage.