The 2025 MLB playoffs continue Tuesday with Game 2 of the NLCS. The Los Angeles Dodgers held on for a 2-1 win last night, and they should feel good with All-Star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto getting the Game 2 start. The Milwaukee Brewers will counter with All-Star pitcher Freddy Peralta in what should be a good one.
We looked at the latest MLB odds to come up with our favorite picks for the best strikeout bets for each pitcher today.
MLB Best Strikeout Props Today
For Tuesday, we like a contrarian pick of the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto to go under in strikeouts and Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta to go over 5.5 strikeouts in Game 2 of the ALCS.
Place Your Bets Today
Our favorite bet today is for Freddy Peralta to go over 5.5 strikeouts as he’s been hot for 2 months now and his team desperately needs the Game 2 win at home. Remember to price shop across the top sportsbooks to lock in the best odds for this line and all other MLB bets this postseason.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto Under 6.5 Strikeouts (-102) at Heritage Sports
Over the last 2 seasons, the Dodgers are 5-1 in the postseason when Yamamoto starts, but his strikeout totals have been all over the map, and he’s coming off one of his worst playoff games. Yamamoto only lasted 4 innings, striking out 2 batters, in an 8-2 loss to the Phillies in the NLDS.
He was much better in his other playoff start against Cincinnati when he had 9 Ks. This will only be the 2nd road playoff start for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Last year, he struck out 8 batters on the road in a win against the Mets.
But on the season, Yamamoto is 16-of-32 at hitting over 6.5 strikeouts, so he’s a perfect coin flip for a line that favors the over in this matchup. However, against the Brewers in July, Yamamoto had the shortest outing of his MLB career when he couldn’t get out of the 1st inning. He threw 41 pitches and recorded no strikeouts in a 9-1 loss.
That game may be an anomaly, but we’re taking the value to bet on the under 6.5 strikeouts as the Brewers found some success late in Game 1 and need to win at home to avoid falling down 0-2 in this series. Yamamoto will survive the 1st inning this time, but we’re banking on him to not reach 7 strikeouts.
Freddy Peralta Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-130) at Heritage Sports
Similar to Yamamoto, Freddy Peralta is coming off a loss in his last start. But in both games against the Cubs, he did well with strikeouts, getting 6 and 9 for a total of 15. He’s been more reliable on the season at hitting the over on his line, going over 5.5 strikeouts in 23-of-35 appearances (65.7%), so better than a coin flip.
Peralta has also been rock solid for strikeout props since August. He’s gone over 5.5 strikeouts in 11-of-12 games in that time.
As for the Dodgers’ talented lineup of hitters, Peralta faced them twice in July. He struck out 7 in a home win before only getting 4 to strike out in Los Angeles. But his history against the opponent isn’t as worrisome as Yamamoto’s disastrous game in July against the Brewers.
Yes, it’s a little risky to bank on the strikeouts to go in Milwaukee’s favor after Game 1 last night when the Dodgers had 4 strikeouts and the Brewers had 11 strikeouts to go with 2 hits. But the Brewers have been great all year and this is close to a must-win game at home, so we’ll bank on some regression and take Peralta to go over, Yamamoto to go under in strikeouts.
Tips for Strikeout Props
- Focus your research on recent performance trends (last 5 games) in the pitcher’s strikeout data.
- Make note of career postseason data as some pitchers (Clayton Kershaw) have a history of underperforming in October.
- Research the strikeout numbers for the opponent and the batters they’ll face along with their head-to-head histories.
- Read the weather report for the game to see if it might be a colder or windy night or if the weather will affect velocity.
- Use different sportsbooks to find the best lines and odds for the strikeout props you favor the most.
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
