These strikeout props are A-OK

For those who navigated down to our Quick Picks yesterday, you might have noticed we highlighted a pair of strikeout props. Both Framber Valdez and Spencer Strider cruised over their strikeout total. This has us thinking we need to give MLB more attention.

Parlay: Joe Ryan over 5.5 Ks & Jordan Montgomery over 4.5 Ks (+179 DK)

Rookie Joe Ryan has been a popular inclusion in Bark Bets this summer, and for good reason. The Twins pitcher has gone for 6+ strikeouts in seven of his past nine starts and hasn't finished with fewer than four Ks in a game since July 13. Tonight, he'll draw a Royals team striking out at the 14th-highest rate against RHPs. Kansas City owns the third-worst wRC+ off righties, which tends to give us confidence that our pitcher target can work deep into the game. Ryan has seen the Royals three times this season, and in order, he's finished with five, six, and six strikeouts. Here's to him going over 5.5 again.

Jordan Montgomery continues to get curiously low lines, and all he's done since joining the Cardinals is strike batters out. Montgomery has gone over 4.5 in four of his last six, and when he does he typically flies over, averaging 6.17 Ks/game in this stretch. He has 4+ Ks in six straight if you're looking to have an alternate leg instead of his standard over. We're confident that Montgomery can pile them up tonight, as Milwaukee is striking out against LHP more than any other team over the last 30 days. Their wRC+ is also at the bottom of the league. Montgomery struck out eight Rockies when he saw them on August 12.

Late-night Parlay: Clayton Kershaw over 5.5 Ks & Kyle Wright over 4.5 Ks (+168 DK)

For those of you on the East Coast that like to stay up late sweating bets, this is the combo for you. Both of these NL pitchers don't get going until 9:40 p.m. ET, but late or not, they are in a good spot for strikeouts.

Clayton Kershaw has registered six or more strikeouts in six of his last eight starts. He'll see Arizona tonight, a team striking out at the seventh-highest rate vs LHP in the past 30 days. The Diamondbacks also struggle to hit lefties, owning the second-worst wRC+, suggesting Kershaw should have plenty of time to get us to six strikeouts. Kershaw ranks favorably in all strikeout metrics and will have his opportunities to pile up strikes against the Diamondbacks.

Kyle Wright has gone over 4.5 Ks in five straight starts and 19 of 26 on the year. No team is fanning more against RHP than the Giants in the last month, and with a bottom-10 wRC+, Wright should give us some quality innings tonight. If you're looking for an alternate line on FanDuel in your parlay, Wright has gotten to four strikeouts in all but two starts this season.

In the news ...

TJ Watt headlines NFL injury news, Defensive Player of the Year market shifts — From Dak Prescott to Elijah Mitchell to Kyle Fuller to Keenan Allen to TJ Watt and Najee Harris, Week 1 did not hold back from sidelining some of the NFL's brightest. It appears that the reigning Defensive Player of the Year Watt will not need surgery on his pectoral injury, which suggests he'll miss six weeks. Watt's absence has altered the DPOY betting market. Fresh off a two-sack performance, Myles Garrett is the current favorite on Caesars at +550. Aaron Donald is next at +700, followed by Micah Parsons at +850.

Game 2 of the WNBA Finals tonight — It took a second-half push, but the Las Vegas Aces won Game 1 over the Connecticut Sun, 67-64. We're on to Game 2, still in Vegas, and the Aces are favored by 4.5-points. It's quite an inflection point for the futures market, as the Aces are -550 to win it all compared to the Sun at +425. If you believe Connecticut can make this a series, it may be best to place a wager on them winning the Finals instead of their +180 moneyline, the price will surely be closer to +200 if they are to win tonight. A'ja Wilson is currently the favorite to win Finals MVP at +100 following her 24 points, 11 rebounds performance in Game 1.

Russell Wilson drops his Seattle homecoming — It was an ugly game, with the Broncos fumbling twice on the 1-yard line, but ultimately, Russell Wilson's homecoming wasn't meant to be. Seattle, behind a strong performance from Geno Smith (23-of-28, 195 yards, 2 TDs) pulled off the upset 17-16 victory over a popular Super Bowl favorite in Denver. Is Geno for real? The Seahawks are currently +450 to make the playoffs. They are the only team in the NFC West who won this week.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll