A significant three-game series between potential playoff contenders starts Tuesday with the New York Yankees hosting the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees currently lead the wild card standings and aim for their second consecutive division title, however, they trail the leading Toronto Blue Jays by two games in the AL East.
The Tigers, closing in on their first AL Central title since 2014, hold an 8.5-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians despite losing nine of their last 13 games. Earlier in the season, they won two out of three games at home against the Yankees, who have been in fine form, winning 11 of their last 14 games.
Will Warren (8-6, 4.28 ERA) is set to pitch for New York, seeking his third win in four appearances. His last start against the Houston Astros saw him throwing to a decision without influencing the outcome, although he did achieve four strikeouts over five innings.
On the other side, Casey Mize (13-5, 3.87) for Detroit is in remarkable form, having only lost once in his previous seven starts. He previously secured his first win against the Yankees in April, allowing just one run and notching six strikeouts over six innings.
The sportsbooks have set the total strikeouts props at 5.5 for Warren and 4.5 for Mize, with the SportsLine Model projecting them with mixed confidence ratings. Currently, there are three other strikeout props rated higher; here they are:
Luis Garcia Over 3.5 strikeouts (-159) vs. Blue Jays (7:07 p.m. ET)
Rating: 5 stars
Model projection: 5.1 strikeouts
Garcia is making his second start post Tommy John surgery and recorded six strikeouts in his season debut against the Los Angeles Angels.
Michael King Over 4.5 strikeouts (-152) vs. Reds (9:40 p.m. ET)
Rating: 5 stars
Model projection: 6.1 strikeouts
King is expected to be activated from the injured list for this matchup, having performed solidly in earlier home games.
Zack Littell Over 3.5 strikeouts (+104) vs. Padres (9:40 p.m. ET)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Model projection: 4.3 strikeouts
Littell has been consistent lately, and despite a challenging outing previously, he’s showing promise with 14 strikeouts over his last three starts.
