Odds are good that there will be lots of strikeouts tonight at Progressive Field when the Chicago White Sox take on the Cleveland Indians. It’s two aces on the hill with Lucas Giolito (4-3, 3.53) facing Shane Bieber (8-1, 1.74 ERA).
PointsBet Sportsbook has pretty high strikeout props on both starters.
They’re currently dealing Bieber’s K prop at O/U 8.5 (o-154), which means you have to lay $154 to win $100 to bet the over. That juice is too rich for my blood, even though Bieber is one of the best in the game at making hitters look silly and the White Sox strikeout at a ridiculously high rate.
Giolito’s number is more attainable and the juice is way easier to tolerate. His prop opened at O/U 7 strikeouts and it’s been bet up to 7.5 (u-136). This gives you a much cheaper option to bet on a very good pitcher going over his prop with affordable juice (-103).[[ad:athena]]
It’s even more interesting to see Giolito’s prop climb a half strikeout when you consider he struck out only 11 batters in his last two starts against Detroit and Minnesota. Makes you think, doesn’t it?
Cleveland is middle of the pack in strikeouts this season with 477. That actually makes them the toughest team to strikeout in the division behind Chicago (517), Detroit (517), Kansas City (491) and Minnesota (488). But the betting market definitely tells a story. That was respected money on the Over to move it up from 7 to 7.5 punchouts.
Giolito has faced the Tribe twice in 2020 and racked up 6 and 9 strikeouts in those meetings. I would argue that he’s on an extremely long leash tonight what with the Sox clinging to a half-game lead in the AL Central. He’s going at least six innings and I think it’s a good chance he goes seven.
This might be one of those games where both starters finish with 9-10 strikeouts. That’s how good the stuff and fastball command can be for Giolito and Bieber when they’re on.
Play on Lucas Giolito Over 7.5 strikeouts (-103).
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