Time to head up north to the lovely town of Milwaukee, where Brewers star Freddy Peralta struck out ten batters last night. Luckily for us, the numbers suggest it could happen again, given how swing-happy the Los Angeles Angels have been this season.
It is almost a must bet to take Brandon Woodruff over his strikeout prop tonight, set at 7.5. Sure, he is averaging just over 6.5 strikeouts per game this season. However, the right-hander is a strikeout machine.
According to Batters-Box, he not only has elite ratings today, but his average hitter matchup strikeout percentage is over 40%. To give some perspective, when a pitcher sits above 32%, they typically surpass 5.5 strikeouts 60% of the time. Woodruff is at 40%, with a current season rate of 43.57%. Just insane.
Over his last five starts at home, Woodruff owns a 32.7% strikeout rate. It only gets worse from here. Shield your eyes, Angels die-hards. It is about to get filthy.
Angels Strikeout Rates
The Angels this season have been one of the most swing-happy teams in baseball. Happy makes it sound less concerning, so let us dive into the numbers. Over the last two weeks, they have the highest strikeout rate. They also lead over the last three weeks against right-handers, and over the last four weeks on the road, they rank second-highest.
Notable hitters have very high strikeout rates in their last 60 at-bats. Mike Trout is at 42%, Jo Adell 35%, and Taylor Ward 25%. The league average is 23%.
The strikeout numbers for the Angels are so high that fading them is tempting. Even after they struck out over ten times last night, Woodruff is such a strong strikeout pitcher that it is hard not to back him. I did not ladder his strikeouts-the prices did not grab me enough. The 12+ was over 11-to-1, which could be a fun sprinkle. However, the 7.5 strikeout line is a 100% go for me.
In short, everything points to Woodruff dominating the Angels' lineup tonight. His elite strikeout ability, combined with the Angels' extreme swing tendencies, makes the over on 7.5 strikeouts an easy call. This is a matchup built for strikeouts, and backing Woodruff here is not just smart-it is almost inevitable. For anyone looking for a high-value play with strong upside, this is the spot to be.
Best Bet: Brandon Woodruff Over 6.5 Strikeouts (-110) odds via BetOnline
