Three Thousand Strikeouts

A critical American League East matchup leads off today’s action, as the Toronto Blue Jays look to extend their two-game win streak and catch the New York Yankees at the top of the division. Later tonight, we head to Los Angeles for Game 2 of the White Sox–Dodgers series—but all eyes will be on Clayton Kershaw, who is chasing a milestone no other pitcher in Dodgers history (Brooklyn or LA) has reached.

📺 Today's TV Games

  • ⚾  Chicago White Sox @ Los Angeles Dodgers – MLB Network

🎯 Pick 10 (7:07pm ET/4:07pm PT)

⚾ NY Yankees @ Toronto

The Yankees are reeling after two tough losses to the Blue Jays and are now trying to salvage a series split—and protect their narrow one-game division lead. Will Warren averages over a strikeout per inning but has struggled mightily on the road. José Berríos, while not known for his strikeout totals, has been in great form lately and a key player to Toronto’s resurgence in the AL East. This game may come down to whether Berríos can contain the Yankees’ power bats, who’ve posted strong OPS numbers against him.

  1. Will Warren – Over/Under 4.5 strikeouts
  2. Cody Bellinger – Over/Under 1.5 hits+runs+RBIs
  3. Trent Grisham – Over/Under 0.5 runs
  4. José Berríos – Over/Under 5.5 strikeouts
  5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – Over/Under 1.5 hits+runs+RBIs

⚾ Chicago White Sox @ LA Dodgers

The Dodgers handled the White Sox with ease in Game 1 of this three-game set, but tonight is about more than just the scoreboard. Clayton Kershaw is only three strikeouts away from reaching 3,000 career Ks—a feat achieved by just 19 pitchers in MLB history. Over his last four starts, Kershaw has averaged 5.25 strikeouts per outing, consistently working through at least five innings.

The White Sox will use an opener tonight, starting with Brandon Eisert for an inning or two before turning it over to rookie Sean Burke. This strategy worked earlier this season when Burke pitched six innings in relief in Baltimore, striking out six. He’s averaged 7 Ks in his last two extended outings, though he’s also given up 4.5 hits per appearance. He’ll likely face Shohei Ohtani twice—and all it takes is one mistake for the ball to land 400 feet into the bleachers.

  1. Sean Burke – Over/Under 4.5 strikeouts
  2. Vinny Capra – Over/Under 0.5 hits
  3. Clayton Kershaw – Over/Under 4.5 strikeouts
  4. Shohei Ohtani – Over/Under 2.5 hits+runs+RBIs
  5. Mookie Betts – Over/Under 0.5 runs

 

🏆 Pick 5 Margin (10:10pm ET/7:10pm PT)

⚾ Chicago White Sox @ LA Dodgers

(See full game breakdown above)

  1. Sean Burke – Strikeouts
  2. Miguel Vargas – Hits+Runs+RBIs
  3. Clayton Kershaw – Strikeouts
  4. Shohei Ohtani – Hits+Runs+RBIs
  5. Freddie Freeman – Hits+Runs+RBIs