MLB Best Prop Bets Today (Fade Nick Lodolo, JT Brubaker & Framber Valdez On Thursday)

The BetSided team is back to give you our top picks for today's MLB slate, and folks... we're on a heater. The team is 8-1 in our last nine MLB picks, with Sandy Alcantara giving up just one too many earned runs yesterday. Still, we have four great picks for today's reduced slate.

You can also find game-by-game betting plays and previews for every matchup on our MLB Picks page, as well as each team's probable pitchers, weather report and more.

Best MLB Prop Bets Record to Date

• MLB Best Prop Bets Record: 187-158-0

Best MLB Prop Bets Today

• Dylan Cease OVER 7.5 Strikeouts (+108) - FanDuel Sportsbook
• J.T. Brubaker UNDER 5.5 Strikeouts (-165) - DraftKings Sportsbook
• Nick Lodolo UNDER 7.5 Strikeouts (-155) - DraftKings Sportsbook
• Framber Valdez UNDER 6.5 Strikeouts (+110) – DraftKings Sportsbook

Nick Lodolo UNDER 7.5 Strikeouts (-155) - Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds

This number is WAY too high for my liking, as Nick Lodolo has cleared it just three times in nine starts this season. 

The Chicago Cubs average 8.82 strikeouts per game, but I don’t know if Lodolo goes deep enough into this game, especially after last year’s Field of Dreams Game turned into a shootout with eight homers. 

Lodolo has great stuff, striking out 58 batters in 43.0 innings, but he’s only pitched six innings in two of his nine starts. I’m just not sure the Cincinnati Reds starter lasts long enough to clear what is a pretty lofty number tonight. – Peter Dewey

JT Brubaker UNDER 5.5 Strikeouts (-165) - Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

The best kept secret in Major League Baseball is that the Arizona Diamondbacks are one of the best teams in the strikeout department. Since July 1st, the Diamondbacks are tied with the Guardians for the lowest strikeout rate in all of baseball at 18.6%.

With that in mind, taking the UNDER strikeout prop on their opposing pitcher is a smart bet to make. Today, they face the Pirates, who will trot out J.T. Brubaker.

Brubaker has failed to cover this number in two of his last three starts, and he already has experience against this Diamondbacks team.

He started against them back on June 3rd, and only managed three strikeouts.

I’ll take the UNDER 5.5 on his strikeout total tonight. – Iain MacMillan

Dylan Cease OVER 7.5 Strikeouts (+108) - Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals

In most cases, I try to fade the high strikeout prop totals for big name pitchers, but I can’t do it today with Cease on the mound in Kansas City.

The AL Cy Young candidate has been nothing short of spectacular this year, putting himself in elite company through his first 22 starts of the season.

He’s faced the Royals twice this year, fanning nine in both of his starts. He’s also been electric in day games in 2022 with a strikeout percentage of 30.8%.

On the road this year, Cease owns a miniscule 1.33 ERA and faces a predominantly right-handed dominant K.C. lineup. That’s good news for Cease, whose 13.50 K/9 on the road vs. right-handed hitters should come in handy.

7.5 is a lot of punchouts, but with Cease carrying the White Sox on his back this season, today should help catapult him closer to Justin Verlander for a Cy Young award. – Ben Heisler

Framber Valdez UNDER 6.5 Strikeouts (+110) – Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros

Valdez goes back and forth with this line, hitting the UNDER in three of his last five starts. He’s pitched well against the Rangers this season, nearly averaging one strikeout per inning. However, he’d have to have a long outing in order to hit that and he’s come under 7.0 innings in three of his last four starts. 

If the Astros start managing his outings and try to save him for the playoffs, then I can easily see him coming under this line. – Donnavan Smoot

You can find Donnavan Smoot’s full betting record here.