The highest two groups within the Nationwide League collide Monday because the Milwaukee Brewers host the Philadelphia Phillies for the primary contest of their three-game collection. Milwaukee (85-53), which owns the most effective file within the majors, has a 6.5-game lead over the Chicago Cubs within the NL Central regardless of having gone simply 6-8 over its final 14 contests. The Phillies (79-58) are six video games forward of the New York Mets within the NL East however are beneath .500 on the street this season (34-35) and have misplaced seven of their final 9 away from house.
Each groups need to bounce again from losses which denied them collection sweeps. The Brewers squandered an early two-run lead on the street and dropped an 8-4 resolution to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday within the finale of their three-game set, whereas the Phillies have been unable to carry a late one-run benefit because the Atlanta Braves scored as soon as within the eighth inning and twice within the ninth to salvage the final of their 4 matchups with a 3-1 triumph.
Milwaukee, which outscored the Phillies 28-11 whereas sweeping a three-game collection in Philadelphia earlier this season, sends All-Star right-hander Jacob Misiorowski (4-2, 4.33 ERA) to the mound in Monday’s opener. The 23-year-old rookie is winless in his final 5 begins however reached double digits in strikeouts for the second time in his transient MLB profession final day trip, fanning 10 batters over 5 innings of a no-decision towards the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Phillies counter with Taijuan Walker (4-7, 3.63), who shall be making his tenth consecutive begin and 18th general this yr. The 33-year-old righty is simply 1-2 since returning to the rotation and has registered greater than three strikeouts in solely three of these 9 outings.
High sportsbooks have set the full strikeouts props for Walker (Over -166, Underneath +125) at 2.5 and Misiorowski (Over +110, Underneath -142) at 6.5. The SportsLine Projection Mannequin, which simulates each MLB recreation 10,000 instances, charges Walker’s Over 2.5 strikeouts prop as a 4.5-star play on its 5-star scale and Misiorowski’s Underneath 6.5 as a 3.5-star play.
Nevertheless, the mannequin has discovered higher worth on Monday’s 13-game schedule, as there are two pitcher strikeout participant props that it has rated at 5 stars and one at 4.5 stars that returns plus cash. Right here they’re:
Kai-Wei Teng Underneath 3.5 strikeouts (+113) vs. Rockies (4:10 p.m. ET)
Ranking: 5 stars
Mannequin projection: 1.4 strikeouts
Teng will be making his fourth start and fifth overall appearance since being brought up from Triple-A Sacramento at the beginning of August. The 26-year-old Taiwanese righty has registered 12 strikeouts across 13 1/3 innings in the majors this season but has yet to notch more than four strikeouts or last longer than five frames in an outing. He has worked a total of only five innings in his last two turns in the Giants‘ rotation, including a 1 2/3-inning stint against the San Diego Padres on Aug. 13 in which he failed to record a strikeout.
Kyle Bradish Over 4.5 strikeouts (-101) vs. Padres (6:40 p.m. ET)
Rating: 5 stars
Model projection: 6.2 strikeouts
Bradish will be on the mound for just the second time since undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2024. The 28-year-old righty was impressive in his season debut against the Boston Red Sox last Tuesday, as he reached double digits in strikeouts for just the fifth time in 62 starts by fanning 10 batters across six innings. The Padres have struck out the fewest among NL teams this year but did so nine times in three of their last four contests, so there’s a solid chance Bradish will go Over his projected total in the opener of this three-game series.
Dylan Cease Under 7.5 strikeouts (+108) vs. Orioles (6:40 p.m. ET)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Model projection: 6.4 strikeouts
Cease is fourth in the NL and sixth in the majors this season with 183 strikeouts. However, the 29-year-old right-hander has gone four consecutive starts without recording more than seven strikeouts after exceeding that total in four of his previous five turns. In fact, Cease set a season low by fanning only two batters in his 3 1/3-inning outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 16. Cease has averaged six strikeouts over his last five contests, a span during which he went Under his projected total four times.
