3 MLB Strikeout Props to Back on August 25: Seymour, Scherzer, and Gavin Williams

Tuesday’s MLB slate is loaded with starting pitchers who miss bats, and three of them stand out as strong strikeout prop plays. We’re targeting Ian Seymour, Max Scherzer, and Gavin Williams — three arms with the recent form and matchups to clear their strikeout numbers tonight.

Each of these picks comes down to a simple formula: swing-and-miss stuff meeting a lineup that’s prone to chasing. Here’s why we like all three to hit their marks.

Ian Seymour Over 5.5 Strikeouts vs. Detroit

Seymour has quietly turned into one of the better strikeout arms in the American League since taking a permanent rotation spot, and the left-hander is riding real momentum into this Detroit matchup. Over his last four outings, he’s recorded at least seven strikeouts in every single one — a stretch that includes a nine-strikeout effort against Baltimore and an eight-strikeout performance against Toronto in his most recent start.

On the season, Seymour is sitting on a 10.9 K/9 with a sharp 123:32 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 101.1 innings, and his last 30 days show an even better swing-and-miss rate. CBS Sports projects him for six strikeouts in this spot, which clears the 5.5 line with room to spare. Detroit’s lineup has been chase-prone against left-handed spin, and Seymour’s four-straight-starts streak of 7+ punchouts says the matchup plays right into his hands.

Max Scherzer Over 3.5 Strikeouts vs. Kansas City

Scherzer’s overall 2026 line looks rough — a career-worst 7.40 ERA and 1.51 WHIP — but the swing-and-miss stuff hasn’t disappeared, and this is a spot where his recent strikeout output has actually held up better than his run prevention. Look at his last several outings: five strikeouts against St. Louis, four against Boston, four against Philadelphia, and four against Washington. That’s a pitcher who keeps clearing the 3.5 line even while the rest of his game struggles.

Dimers has this prop at a 63.7% probability to hit, and the matchup backs it up. Kansas City has been one of the more strikeout-prone lineups in the league this season, and Scherzer gets a Royals order that isn’t built to work deep counts against a future Hall of Famer who’s still finding four-plus punchouts most nights out. His season K/9 sits at 6.4, but his recent form has consistently outpaced that number.

Gavin Williams Strikeout Prop vs. Los Angeles Angels

This is the headline strikeout play of the night. Williams, tied for the American League lead in punchouts this season, has been utterly dominant lately — double-digit strikeouts in six of his last eight starts, including an 11-strikeout, 12-strikeout, and 10-strikeout stretch mixed in over that span. He carries an 11.7 K/9 into Anaheim, one of the best marks among qualified starters in baseball.

The matchup could not set up better. The Angels rank near the bottom of the league in wRC+ against right-handers and strike out at a 25.1% clip against them — a number that climbs even higher at home in Angel Stadium. FanGraphs has Williams logging a 39.8% strikeout rate over his last five starts, and Cleveland’s MLB odds page shows the Guardians as sizable road favorites in this one, a sign of just how lopsided this pitching matchup projects on paper. Wearing #32 for Cleveland, Williams is squarely in form to pile up strikeouts against a lineup built to give them up.

Lock These In

All three of these arms are trending in the right direction against matchups that play to their strengths. Here’s the strikeout card for tonight:

• Ian Seymour OVER 5.5 Strikeouts vs. Detroit
• Max Scherzer OVER 3.5 Strikeouts vs. Kansas City
• Gavin Williams OVER (check your book’s line) Strikeouts vs. Los Angeles Angels

Check current odds at your sportsbook before locking these in, but the recent form and matchup context all point the same direction: swing-and-miss stuff against lineups that are going to chase.