Two teams vying for division titles clash Monday, with the San Diego Padres facing the Seattle Mariners in their three-game series opener. San Diego (74-57) currently shares first place in the National League West with the Los Angeles Dodgers, having won two of their last three games against the reigning World Series champions. They recently suffered an 8-2 defeat to the Dodgers, ending a five-game winning streak that followed a four-game slump.
Meanwhile, Seattle (70-61) trails the Houston Astros by two games in the American League West but holds onto a wild card position after taking two of three from the Athletics, including an 11-4 win on Sunday, following a rough 2-7 road trip.
JP Sears (8-10, 4.94 ERA) will start for San Diego. This will be his third outing since joining from the Athletics at the trade deadline, having transitioned from a loss in his debut to a victory in his second game despite only managing two strikeouts over six innings. Conversely, he has yet to win against the Mariners, with his last six games against them ending in losses, including two this season where he allowed 13 strikeouts across 11 innings.
Seattle will counter with Bryce Miller (2-5, 5.87), who had a no-decision against the Philadelphia Phillies, marking his first appearance in 2.5 months due to an elbow injury. The 27-year-old right-hander struck out four batters over five innings in that game and faced the Padres once last season, striking out just one in six innings.
The top sportsbooks have set the total strikeouts prop for Miller at 3.5 (Over -124, Under -106) but have yet to establish one for Sears. According to the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every MLB game 10,000 times, Miller’s Over 3.5 strikeouts is rated as a 4.5-star play on a 5-star scale.
Top Pitcher Strikeout Props
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Ian Seymour: Over 3.5 strikeouts (-158) vs. Guardians (6:40 p.m. ET)
Rating: 5 stars
Model projection: 5.5 strikeouts
Seymour is set for his major league debut after 12 relief appearances, having recorded four strikeouts in his last two outings. -
Joe Ryan: Over 5.5 strikeouts (+115) vs. Blue Jays (7:07 p.m. ET)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Model projection: 6.2 strikeouts
Ryan has accumulated 159 strikeouts this season and exceeded this total in his last two starts. -
Eduardo Rodriguez: Over 4.5 strikeouts (-111) vs. Brewers (7:40 p.m. ET)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Model projection: 5.3 strikeouts
Rodriguez has achieved five or more strikeouts in three of his past five starts.
