3 MLB Strikeout Props to Back on May 9, 2026

Saturday’s MLB slate is loaded with compelling strikeout opportunities, and May 9, 2026 gives us three starters who are each built to generate whiffs at a rate that makes their prop lines look beatable. Whether you are brand new to pitcher strikeout props or you have been riding them all season, this is a spot where the research does the heavy lifting for you.

We dug into the game logs, matchup data, and 2026 strikeout trends to find three arms that offer real value today. These are not guesses. Each pick is backed by consistent production and a favorable opponent.

Chase Burns Is Striking Everyone Out and Houston Is Next

Chase Burns has been one of the most exciting young starters in baseball this season, and his strikeout numbers back up every bit of the hype. Through seven starts in 2026, the Cincinnati Reds right-hander carries a 2.20 ERA and has racked up 46 strikeouts across 41 innings — good for an 11.1 K/9 rate that ranks among the best in the National League. He is not just posting big totals against weak opponents, either. Burns has gone over 6.5 strikeouts in four of his last seven starts, including back-to-back outings of 7 and 9 against Pittsburgh and Colorado.

Today he draws the Houston Astros, who have punched out at a rate that makes them a favorable matchup for power pitchers. Burns’ four-seamer sits at 97-plus miles per hour with sharp ride, and his 28.5 percent strikeout rate across all at-bats in 2026 is not something most offenses can solve in a single game. The line today sits at 6.5 strikeouts on most books, and Burns has proven he can clear that number while barely breaking a sweat on a typical outing. This is a straightforward strikeout play with real upside if Burns is rolling from the first inning.

Check your sportsbook for the current line, as it may shift closer to first pitch. The over on 6.5 strikeouts is the play here, and it has hit in four of seven outings this season.

Cam Schlittler’s Line Is a Gift From the Baseball Gods

If you told most people that the best pitcher in the American League was getting a strikeout line of 5.5 tonight, they would immediately ask where to bet it. That is exactly the situation with Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees, who enters today’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers with a 1.52 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP, and 53 strikeouts through just eight starts. For context, that pace puts him on track to challenge some of the best single-season strikeout rates in recent Yankees history.

Here is what makes this prop so appealing for a new bettor to understand: the strikeout line at 5.5 is set below his season average of 6.63 per start. That means Schlittler only needs to be average tonight — not exceptional — and you win the bet. His last five starts have produced 4, 8, 5, 6, 8, and 7 strikeouts respectively. He has cleared 5.5 in six of his eight outings this season. Even his quiet game against Baltimore last week (four strikeouts) was an outlier against a lineup that had caught on to some of his tendencies early in the count. Tonight he faces a Milwaukee Brewers offense that will be seeing him for the first time this season, which historically gives the pitcher an edge.

The line is simply too low for a pitcher of this caliber. At 5.5, this is one of the cleanest value plays on the board today regardless of sport. Check your sportsbook for the current odds, as the line may move toward 6.5 by game time.

Aaron Nola Gets the Best Possible Matchup in Colorado

Aaron Nola’s 2026 season has been a mixed bag. His ERA sits at 5.06 and he has struggled with command at times, but his strikeout rate has remained solid, averaging 5.71 punchouts per start across seven outings. The reason to target Nola today has everything to do with the opponent: the Colorado Rockies rank as one of the most strikeout-prone lineups in all of baseball, having been fanned at an extremely high rate by right-handed pitchers all season long.

When Nola faced the Rockies in Colorado back on April 3, he struck out nine batters in 6.1 innings. That was not a fluke. Nola’s ability to tunnel his fastball and curveball in the strike zone creates the kind of two-plane break that Colorado hitters simply have not been able to solve this year. The Rockies have posted a strikeout rate at or near the bottom of the league, and at Citizens Bank Park on a warm May evening, Nola’s stuff can play up even when his ERA numbers suggest otherwise.

The over on 5.5 strikeouts is a spot where the matchup does the work. Nola has cleared this number in four of his seven starts this season, including a nine-strikeout gem against these exact Rockies. With a line set at 5.5 and a matchup this favorable, the value is sitting right in front of you.

Lock These In Before First Pitch

All three of these pitchers are going against lineups that give them a real chance to generate strikeouts above their projected totals. Burns is one of the most electric arms in the sport, Schlittler has a line that undersells his talent, and Nola gets the dream matchup against Colorado. Today’s strikeout props offer real value at every price point.

• Chase Burns OVER 6.5 Strikeouts vs Houston Astros (check your book for current lines)
• Cam Schlittler OVER 5.5 Strikeouts vs Milwaukee Brewers (check your book for current lines)
• Aaron Nola OVER 5.5 Strikeouts vs Colorado Rockies (check your book for current lines)

These three starters are primed to deliver. Get them in before lineups post and enjoy a full day of baseball doing the work for you.