3 MLB Strikeout Props to Back on August 14: Burns, Williams, Cole All Set to Go Over

Friday’s MLB slate is loaded with strikeout upside, and three starters stand out above the rest. Chase Burns has emerged as one of the most dominant young arms in baseball, Gavin Williams has quietly built one of the best swing-and-miss profiles in the American League, and Gerrit Cole is riding a stretch of vintage form into a favorable spot in Toronto.

All three get plus-money or near-plus-money strikeout overs on Friday, and each case is backed by real, verifiable trends rather than a hot streak alone. Here’s why we like all three to hit the over.

Chase Burns Over 6.5 Strikeouts (+102) vs. Marlins

Chase Burns has been the breakout arm of the 2026 season, sitting at 13-2 with a 2.61 ERA and a 6.5 K/9 across 22 starts for the Reds. That record alone tells you how consistently he’s put his team in position to win, but the strikeout profile is what makes this prop appealing on Friday.

Cincinnati draws a Marlins lineup that has struggled to make consistent contact against power arms all season, and Burns has shown the ability to push past this number even against tougher competition. Getting a swing-and-miss starter like Burns at plus money on a strikeout over is exactly the kind of value that shows up a handful of times a week if you know where to look.

With Burns trending toward more strikeouts as the season has progressed and Miami’s offense giving him a soft landing spot, 6.5 feels like a number he clears more often than not.

Gavin Williams Over 7.5 Strikeouts (+122) vs. Padres

Gavin Williams doesn’t get the national attention of some of his AL counterparts, but the numbers speak for themselves: 7.7 K/9 across 24 starts, 185 strikeouts on the season, and a 3.55 ERA that undersells just how nasty his stuff has been in bursts. Williams has posted double-digit strikeout games twice in his last six outings, and he’s gone over this exact number in three of his last five starts.

San Diego’s lineup has had its swing-and-miss issues on the road this season, and Williams’ fastball-slider combination plays up well against a Padres group that chases more than most contenders. At +122, this is a plus-money price on a pitcher averaging nearly eight strikeouts a start.

The volume is there, the recent form is there, and the matchup does nothing to discourage it. This is one of the more efficient plus-money strikeout bets on the board Friday.

Gerrit Cole Over 5.5 Strikeouts (+126) vs. Blue Jays

Gerrit Cole just posted a nine-strikeout outing against Atlanta in his last start, and he now heads to Toronto averaging 6.2 K/9 on the season. That’s a full strikeout of buffer over Friday’s line, and Cole has been building momentum with better stuff and command as the summer has worn on.

The Blue Jays haven’t been an easy strikeout matchup all year, but Cole has the swing-and-miss slider and elevated four-seamer to work through a contact-oriented lineup when he’s locating well — and his last outing suggests he’s doing exactly that right now. Getting a pitcher of Cole’s caliber at +126 on a line sitting below his season average is a rare gift.

Recent form matters just as much as season-long numbers here, and Cole’s trending in the right direction at the right time. Check your book, since -157 unders have popped up elsewhere, but the plus-money over remains live in most spots.

Lock These In

All three of these pitchers check the same boxes: strong recent form, a favorable matchup on paper, and plus-money pricing that reflects real value rather than public buy-in. If you’re building a strikeout-heavy card for Friday, these are the three arms to build around.

• Chase Burns OVER 6.5 Strikeouts (+102)
• Gavin Williams OVER 7.5 Strikeouts (+122)
• Gerrit Cole OVER 5.5 Strikeouts (+126)

Lines move fast on strikeout props, so confirm the numbers at your DraftKings promo code or preferred book before locking anything in, and check the latest live MLB odds throughout the day for any shifts.