3 MLB Strikeout Props to Back on July 9, 2026: Gavin Williams, Jesus Luzardo, Reid Detmers Punchout Picks

Thursday’s slate is loaded with swing-and-miss arms, and three of them stand out above the rest. Gavin Williams keeps humming in Cleveland, Jesus Luzardo has one of the nastiest four-pitch mixes in the National League, and Reid Detmers is quietly outpitching his own ERA by a wide margin. All three get matchups tonight that set up well for strikeout props.

Here’s why each of these punchout plays deserves a look before first pitch.

Gavin Williams Keeps Missing Cleveland Bats

Gavin Williams has been one of the most underrated strikeout arms in baseball all season. Through 18 starts, the Guardians right-hander is 9-4 with a 3.89 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 106.1 innings, a rate north of 10 punchouts per nine that ranks sixth in all of MLB. His 1.18 WHIP shows the whiffs aren’t coming at the expense of control — he’s missing bats while still pounding the zone.

Williams draws Minnesota this afternoon, where Bailey Ober takes the ball for the Twins. This isn’t about attacking one specific weakness so much as trusting a pitcher who has been this consistent start after start. Williams has racked up plenty of multi-strikeout innings this year, and a matchup against a Twins lineup that isn’t overwhelming from a contact standpoint keeps this number very much in play. Check your DraftKings promo code book for the current line on his strikeout total, but anything in the 5.5 range looks beatable given his season-long pace.

Jesus Luzardo’s Filthy Stuff Travels to Cincinnati

Jesus Luzardo has quietly turned into one of the best strikeout pitchers in the National League. The Phillies left-hander is 7-4 with a 3.75 ERA and has piled up 125 strikeouts in just 103.1 innings — a 10.9 K/9 rate that’s elite even in today’s swing-happy game. His fastball-changeup combination generates chases in and out of the zone, and he’s been trending in the right direction as the calendar flips to July.

Luzardo gets a Reds lineup tonight that will run out Brady Singer’s rotation mate but has to actually face Luzardo from the batter’s box, and Cincinnati has been prone to swings and misses against quality velocity all year. Sportsbooks have priced Luzardo’s strikeout total at 7.5 with plus-money odds attached, a number that lines up nicely with his per-start averages. Bettors looking for value should like the number here given how often he’s cleared it recently.

Reid Detmers Quietly Piling Up Punchouts

Reid Detmers’ 4.13 ERA doesn’t tell the real story. The Angels left-hander has actually pitched much better than that number suggests, posting a 3.09 FIP with just 0.8 home runs allowed per nine innings and a strikeout rate sitting at 10.1 per nine — both marks of a pitcher who’s been unlucky, not ineffective. Across 104.2 innings this season, Detmers has struck out 117 hitters.

He gets the Rangers tonight in Texas, and while Detmers has taken some tough-luck losses recently, the swing-and-miss stuff hasn’t gone anywhere. Rangers hitters have chased his changeup and slider combination before, and a start against a lineup that isn’t allergic to strikeouts sets up well for him to clear a moderate total. Check your book for his current strikeout number, but his season-long rate supports anything in the mid-5s.

Lock These In

All three of these pitchers have the swing-and-miss track record to back up a strikeout prop tonight, and none of them require betting against the grain of their season-long performance. Here are the three plays to target before first pitch.

• Gavin Williams Over 5.5 Strikeouts (odds: check your book)
• Jesus Luzardo Over 7.5 Strikeouts (+125)
• Reid Detmers Over 5.5 Strikeouts (odds: check your book)

Shop these lines across a few sportsbook reviews before locking anything in, since strikeout totals can vary by a half-run or more depending on the book. For live line movement throughout the day, keep an eye on the MLB odds page and check out the current FanDuel promo code and BetMGM promo code if you’re looking to get a new account started before tonight’s action.