
Two of the top teams in the National League will clash Friday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers (10-4) take on the Chicago Cubs (9-6) at Dodger Stadium. The pitching matchup features Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-1, 1.69 ERA) for the Dodgers against Matthew Boyd (1-0, 0.00) of the Cubs.
This game is part of a 15-game MLB slate for Friday. Other notable matchups include Robbie Ray (2-0, 3.18) from the Seattle Mariners facing off against Marcus Stroman (0-0, 7.27) of the New York Yankees.
For the Cubs-Dodgers game, sportsbooks have placed Boyd’s total strikeout prop at 4.5 while Yamamoto’s is at 5.5. According to the SportsLine Projection Model—an analytical tool that simulates each MLB game 10,000 times—Boyd’s Over 4.5 strikeouts has earned a 4.5-star rating and Yamamoto’s Over 5.5 is at 4 stars.
However, they aren’t among the top three pitcher strikeout props for Friday. Here are the top picks rated by the model:
Robbie Ray Under 6.5 strikeouts (-128) vs. Yankees (7:05 p.m. ET)
Rating: 5 stars
Model projection: 4.9 strikeouts
The Yankees have excelled against left-handed pitchers this season, leading MLB with 14 home runs against them. Ray has only recorded six strikeouts in 11.1 innings so far this year.
Bowden Francis Over 4.5 strikeouts (+125) vs. Orioles (7:05 p.m. ET)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Model projection: 5.3 strikeouts
Francis was stellar last season and has maintained his form, allowing two earned runs in 10 out of his last 11 starts. He previously struck out seven in five innings against Baltimore.
Jacob deGrom Under 7.5 strikeouts (-147) vs. Mariners (9:40 p.m. ET)
Rating: 5 stars
Model projection: 5.4 strikeouts
This line reflects deGrom’s reputation and not necessarily his performance. The pitcher has not hit eight strikeouts in his last six starts, which is concerning given his history.